Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dirty word

/ˈdɚɾijˌwɝd/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.47 in modern English

Syllables: dirty -word
IPA: /ˈdɚɾijˌwɝd/

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A word that is considered vulgar, not necessarily sexual in nature.

noun

The name of a topic that a person prefers not to hear or discuss.

Example Sentences

"The child was made to sit in the corner as punishment for saying a dirty word."
"Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths."
"Job is a dirty word to him."

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈdɚɾijˌwɝd/
British English: /ˈdɜːtiˌwɜːd/

Inflected Forms

dirty words (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

cacophemism dysphemism euphemism

Synonyms

curse curse word oath profanity obscenity smut vulgarism filth

Questions

How do you pronounce dirty word?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɚɾijˌwɝd/.
What does dirty word mean?: A word that is considered vulgar, not necessarily sexual in nature.

How to pronounce dirty word

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dirty word”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdɚɾijˌwɝd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “dirty word”.
Repeat and practice — Say “dirty word” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.