Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ebonics

/iˈbɑnɪks/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.97 in modern English

Syllables: Ebon-ics
IPA: /iˈbɑnɪks/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

African-American Vernacular English (AAVE).

Uncountable

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Ebonics.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Buried among the jargon of the announcement was a mention of a name for AAVE, suggested by a Black scholar in 1975^([sic]) but never adopted by linguists: Ebonics. That word, concocted from ebony (a color term from the name of a dark-colored wood) and phonics (the name of a method for teaching reading), was destined to attach to the board as if chiseled into a block of granite and hung round their necks."
"But with exotic dancers, binge-drinking, tooth-ripping, show tunes, time travel, ebonics and murder, it's an approach not usually seen onstage."

Etymology

Blend of ebony + phonics. Coined by scholars at the Cognitive and Language Development of the Black Child conference in 1973 led by Robert L. Williams and published in his book Ebonics: The True Language of Black Folks (1975). Considered outdated by some.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /iˈbɑnɪks/

Usage

Uncountable

Derived Forms

AOLbonics ebonical ebonically ebonify Hebonics Hebronics

Phrases

Black English

Frequently Paired Words

Black English

Synonyms

african american vernacular english aave african american english black english black english vernacular black vernacular black vernacular english

Rhymes With

cryonics electronics onyx avionics harmonics tectonics phonics photonics microelectronics hydroponics animatronics mnemonics

Questions

How do you pronounce ebonics?: The recorded pronunciation is /iˈbɑnɪks/.
What does ebonics mean?: African-American Vernacular English (AAVE).
Where does ebonics come from?: Blend of ebony + phonics. Coined by scholars at the Cognitive and Language Development of the Black Child conference in 1973 led by Robert L. Williams and published in his book Ebonics: The True Language of Black Folks (1975). Considered outdated by some.

How to pronounce ebonics

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