Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gilgamesh

/ˈɡɪl.ɡə.mɛʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.68 in modern English

Syllables
Gil-ga-mesh
IPA
/ˈɡɪl.ɡə.mɛʃ/
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A semi-legendary king of Uruk, who is the hero of the Babylonian poem Epic of Gilgamesh.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Akkadian 𒄑𒂆𒈦 (Gilgāmeš), borrowed from Sumerian 𒀭𒄑𒉋𒂵𒎌 (ᵈgilgameš₂ /⁠Gilgameš⁠/). First attested in 1894.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɡɪl.ɡə.mɛʃ/
  • British English: /ˈɡɪl.ɡə.mɛʃ/

Derived Forms

Gilgameshian

Questions

How do you pronounce gilgamesh?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡɪl.ɡə.mɛʃ/.
What does gilgamesh mean?
A semi-legendary king of Uruk, who is the hero of the Babylonian poem Epic of Gilgamesh.
Where does gilgamesh come from?
Learned borrowing from Akkadian 𒄑𒂆𒈦 (Gilgāmeš), borrowed from Sumerian 𒀭𒄑𒉋𒂵𒎌 (ᵈgilgameš₂ /⁠Gilgameš⁠/). First attested in 1894.

How to pronounce gilgamesh

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