Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gesundheit

/ɡəˈzʊnt.haɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.82 in modern English

Syllables: gesund-heit
IPA: /ɡəˈzʊnt.haɪt/

15

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

Said to someone who has just sneezed.

Canadian usage; American usage

intj

Said in response to a word that sounds onomatopoeically similar to a sneeze.

Humorous

intj

Used as a toast

Dated

Example Sentences

"Everybody Was at It, and There Was No One to Say Gesundheit"
"I used to play a game with David and Douggie, Dennis and Drew — stop their sneezes midsniff just by placing my pinkie finger against their nostrils and saying gesundheit before it was time."
"Flynn: All right, Blondie. Rapunzel: Rapunzel! Flynn: Gesundheit."
"Gesundheit, grandpa"

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from German Gesundheit (literally “health”), from gesund (“healthy”). The adjective is cognate with English sound, from Old English ġesund (“sound, safe, healthy”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɡəˈzʊnt.haɪt/
British English: /ɡəˈzʊnt.haɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

gezuntheit (alternative)

Synonyms

bless you

Questions

How do you pronounce gesundheit?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɡəˈzʊnt.haɪt/.
What does gesundheit mean?: Said to someone who has just sneezed.
Where does gesundheit come from?: Unadapted borrowing from German Gesundheit (literally “health”), from gesund (“healthy”). The adjective is cognate with English sound, from Old English ġesund (“sound, safe, healthy”).

How to pronounce gesundheit

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