Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

earn one's wings

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.96 in modern English

Syllables
earn one's wings
IPA
17
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
1
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To prove one's worth or merit.

Etymology

From the film It's a Wonderful Life, in which Charlie has to prove himself to earn his wings as a full-fledged angel.

Inflected Forms

earns one's wings (present, singular) earning one's wings (participle, present) earned one's wings (participle, past) earned one's wings (past) earnt one's wings (participle, past) earnt one's wings (past)

Synonyms

earn one's stripes get one's wings

Questions

What does earn one's wings mean?
To prove one's worth or merit.
Where does earn one's wings come from?
From the film It's a Wonderful Life, in which Charlie has to prove himself to earn his wings as a full-fledged angel.

How to pronounce earn one's wings

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “earn one's wings”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “earn one's wings” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.