Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

doggy paddle

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.10 in modern English

Syllables: dog-gy -pad-dle
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A swimming stroke in the style of a dog swimming. The swimmer lies on their chest and moves their hands and legs alternately.

noun

The swimming method used by dogs and other four-legged mammals, with head above water and front legs vigorously paddling.

verb

To swim in this style.

Example Sentences

"Number one immediately leapt into the water and doggy-paddled [...] across to the other side[.]"

Inflected Forms

doggy paddles (plural) doggie paddle (alternative) doggie-paddle (alternative) doggy-paddle (alternative) doggy paddles (present, singular) doggy paddling (participle, present) doggy paddled (participle, past) doggy paddled (past)

Rhymes With

saddle paddle straddle waddle twaddle skedaddle addle raddle astraddle staddle unswaddle offsaddle

Questions

What does doggy paddle mean?: A swimming stroke in the style of a dog swimming. The swimmer lies on their chest and moves their hands and legs alternately.

How to pronounce doggy paddle

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