Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

flattop

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.92 in modern English

Syllables
flat-top
IPA
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A short haircut in which the hair is brushed straight up then cut flat across the top.

American usage

noun

An aircraft carrier.

American usage; Informal

noun

A type of stringed instrument, most often an acoustic guitar, with a flat top (as opposed to an archtop), with strings held in place with pins, and with a complex system of bracing struts on the top.

noun

A grill with a flat cooking surface rather than metal bars.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From flat + top. Sense of “aircraft carrier” attributed to the message, “Scratch one flattop,” radioed during the Battle of the Coral Sea by LCDR Robert E. Dixon to the USS Lexington, whose commanding officer credited the pilot with coining the standard USN slang.

Usage

Inflected Forms

flattops (plural) flat top (alternative) flat-top (alternative)

Synonyms

folk guitar aircraft carrier carrier attack aircraft carrier crew cut butch

Questions

What does flattop mean?
A short haircut in which the hair is brushed straight up then cut flat across the top.
Where does flattop come from?
From flat + top. Sense of “aircraft carrier” attributed to the message, “Scratch one flattop,” radioed during the Battle of the Coral Sea by LCDR Robert E. Dixon to the USS Lexington, whose commanding officer credited the pilot with coining the standard USN slang.

How to pronounce flattop

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