Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dog whistle

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.85 in modern English

Syllables
dog whis-tle
IPA
18
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

That which is understood only by a narrow demographic.

Example Sentences

Etymology

dog + whistle. The figurative senses derive from the whistle's sound frequency, which is too high to be heard by human but can be heard by dogs.

Usage

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

What does dog whistle mean?
A high-pitched whistle, generally inaudible to humans, used to train dogs.
Where does dog whistle come from?
dog + whistle. The figurative senses derive from the whistle's sound frequency, which is too high to be heard by human but can be heard by dogs.

How to pronounce dog whistle

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