Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dreads

/dɹɛdz/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.84 in modern English

Syllables: dreads
IPA: /dɹɛdz/

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Colloquial

noun

A Rastafarian person.

verb

third-person singular simple present indicative of dread

Etymology

Abbreviation of dreadlocks. Sense of “Rastafarian person” by synecdoche.

Usage

Colloquial

Inflected Forms

dreds (alternative)

Derived Forms

dreadtalk dready

Synonyms

dreadlocks locks

Rhymes With

heads beds reds threads spreads feds sheds shreds breads treads redheads sleds

Questions

How do you pronounce dreads?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɹɛdz/.
What does dreads mean?: dreadlocks
Where does dreads come from?: Abbreviation of dreadlocks. Sense of “Rastafarian person” by synecdoche.

How to pronounce dreads

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