Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

give pause

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.99 in modern English

Syllables
give -pause
IPA
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cause (someone) to hesitate and think carefully about something, giving (the person) cause to be unsure or concerned about something.

Example Sentences

Inflected Forms

gives pause (present, singular) giving pause (participle, present) gave pause (past) given pause (participle, past)

Phrases

food for thought makes you think

Frequently Paired Words

food for thought makes you think

Questions

What does give pause mean?
To cause (someone) to hesitate and think carefully about something, giving (the person) cause to be unsure or concerned about something.

How to pronounce give pause

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “give pause”.
  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 “give pause”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “give pause” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.