Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

godparent

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.77 in modern English

Syllables: god-par-ent
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who, at a child's naming ceremony or baptism, agrees to help raise the child, originally and especially in regard to their religious development.

noun

A child's designated guardian in the case that the child's parents die.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰutós? Proto-Germanic *gudą Proto-West Germanic *god Old English god Middle English god English god English god- English parent English godparent From god- + parent, modelled after godfather, godmother, godsib, etc.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: god
Root: *ǵʰew-

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Religion.

Inflected Forms

godparents (plural)

Derived Forms

godparental godparenthood godparenting

Phrases

fairy godparent

Questions

What does godparent mean?: A person who, at a child's naming ceremony or baptism, agrees to help raise the child, originally and especially in regard to their religious development.
Where does godparent come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰutós? Proto-Germanic *gudą Proto-West Germanic *god Old English god Middle English god English god English god- English parent English godparent From god- + parent, modelled after godfather, godmother, godsib, etc.

How to pronounce godparent

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