Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

earthquake

/ˈɝθkweɪk/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.15 in modern English

Syllables
earth-quake
IPA
/ˈɝθkweɪk/
26
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To undergo an earthquake.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁er-der. Proto-Germanic *erþō Proto-West Germanic *erþu Old English eorþe Middle English erthe Proto-Germanic *kwakōnąder. Old English cwacian Middle English quaken Middle English erthequake English earthquake From Middle English erthequake, corresponding to earth + quake. Displaced Middle English eorð byfung (“earthquake”) from Old English eorþbeofung (literally “earth shaking”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₁er-, erthequake

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɝθkweɪk/
  • British English: /ˈɜːθkweɪk/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Geology.

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce earthquake?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɝθkweɪk/.
What does earthquake mean?
A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.
Where does earthquake come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce earthquake

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