Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

grandfather clock

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.03 in modern English

Syllables
grand-fa-ther -clock
IPA
32
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
4
Syllables
13
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A longcase clock.

Etymology

From an 1876 song, Grandfather's Clock, by American songwriter Henry Work, based on a clock in the George Hotel in Piercebridge, County Durham, England, which stopped keeping time after its owner died.

Inflected Forms

grandfather clocks (plural)

Phrases

grandmother clock floor clock

Frequently Paired Words

grandmother clock floor clock

Synonyms

longcase clock

Questions

What does grandfather clock mean?
A longcase clock.
Where does grandfather clock come from?
From an 1876 song, Grandfather's Clock, by American songwriter Henry Work, based on a clock in the George Hotel in Piercebridge, County Durham, England, which stopped keeping time after its owner died.

How to pronounce grandfather clock

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