Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

firstborn

/ˈfɜː(ɹ)stˌbɔː(ɹ)n/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.88 in modern English

Syllables: first-born
IPA: /ˈfɜː(ɹ)stˌbɔː(ɹ)n/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The first child to be born to a parent or family.

adj

Born as the first one in a family, flock or the like.

adj

Most excellent; most distinguished or exalted.

Example Sentences

"Shaylene Marie Farrell was born on June 19, 1976, as the firstborn daughter of Darlene Farrell."

Etymology

From Middle English first borne. By surface analysis, first (adverb) + born.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: first borne

Inflected Forms

firstborns (plural) first-born (alternative)

Phrases

baby of the family middle child

Frequently Paired Words

baby of the family middle child nextborn primogeniture middleborn

Synonyms

eldest

Antonyms

lastborn

Rhymes With

born first-born porn worn corn horn torn warn sworn borne thorn mourn

Questions

How do you pronounce firstborn?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɜː(ɹ)stˌbɔː(ɹ)n/.
What does firstborn mean?: The first child to be born to a parent or family.
Where does firstborn come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce firstborn

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