Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dumbfound

/ˈdʌm.faʊnd/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: dumb-found
IPA: /ˈdʌm.faʊnd/

18

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To confuse and bewilder; to leave speechless.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"A bunch of nice, middle-class women debated on how to "rescue" prostitutes from their "terrible" fate. By invitation, the conference was attended by a number of prostitutes, who dumbfounded those nice, bourgeois ladies by making it clear that they had no desire whatever to be "rescued""

Etymology

Blend of dumb + confound.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈdʌm.faʊnd/
British English: /ˌdʌmˈfaʊnd/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

dumbfounds (present, singular) dumbfounding (participle, present) dumbfounded (participle, past) dumbfounded (past) dumfound (alternative)

Derived Forms

dumbfounder dumbfoundment

Synonyms

strike dumb flabbergast perplex vex stick get puzzle mystify baffle beat pose bewilder

Questions

How do you pronounce dumbfound?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdʌm.faʊnd/.
What does dumbfound mean?: To confuse and bewilder; to leave speechless.
Where does dumbfound come from?: Blend of dumb + confound.

How to pronounce dumbfound

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdʌm.faʊnd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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