Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

for crying out loud

/fɚ ˈkɹaɪ.ɪŋ aʊt ˌlaʊd/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.24 in modern English

Syllables: for cry-ing out loud
IPA: /fɚ ˈkɹaɪ.ɪŋ aʊt ˌlaʊd/

26

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

2

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

Used to express frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

"Oh, for crying out loud, get off the computer! You've been on there for ages!"
"'I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud!'"
"Waldo739 asks a "what would you do?" question: "So it's August 31st, 1939, and you are Captain Gustav Kleikamp" - I think - "standing on the bridge wing of SMS" - oh, for crying out loud - "SMS Schleswig-Holstein, drinking a cup of tea[…]""

Etymology

Minced version of for Christ's sake.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /fɚ ˈkɹaɪ.ɪŋ aʊt ˌlaʊd/

Usage

Colloquial

Inflected Forms

for cryin' out loud (alternative)

Phrases

for fucking out loud

Frequently Paired Words

for fucking out loud

Synonyms

FFS for Christ's sake for cripes' sake for crying in the beer for crying out loud for fucking out loud for fuck's sake for God's sake for goodness' sake for heaven's sake for mercy's sake for Pete's sake

Questions

How do you pronounce for crying out loud?: The recorded pronunciation is /fɚ ˈkɹaɪ.ɪŋ aʊt ˌlaʊd/.
What does for crying out loud mean?: Used to express frustration, exasperation, or annoyance.
Where does for crying out loud come from?: Minced version of for Christ's sake.

How to pronounce for crying out loud

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