Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

doornail

/dˈɔɹnˌeɪl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.49 in modern English

Syllables
door-nail
IPA
/dˈɔɹnˌeɪl/
9
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A nail with a wide head, traditionally used in the construction and ornamentation of wooden doors.

Etymology

From Middle English dore-nail, equivalent to door + nail.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

doornails (plural) door nail (alternative) door-nail (alternative)

Phrases

dead as a doornail deader than a doornail deaf as a doornail dumb as a doornail

Questions

How do you pronounce doornail?
The recorded pronunciation is /dˈɔɹnˌeɪl/.
What does doornail mean?
A nail with a wide head, traditionally used in the construction and ornamentation of wooden doors.
Where does doornail come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce doornail

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