Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

floodgate

/ˈflʌdˌɡeɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.00 in modern English

Syllables
flood-gate
IPA
/ˈflʌdˌɡeɪt/
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An adjustable gate or valve used to control the flow of water through a sluice.

noun

A stream that passes through a floodgate; a torrent.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English flodegate, flodgate, flodeyate, floodȝate, flodȝete, equivalent to flood + gate.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce floodgate?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈflʌdˌɡeɪt/.
What does floodgate mean?
An adjustable gate or valve used to control the flow of water through a sluice.
Where does floodgate come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce floodgate

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