Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

great auk

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.27 in modern English

Syllables: great auk
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A large extinct auk (†Pinguinus impennis).

Example Sentences

"The last great auk ever seen in the UK was captured off Stac an Armin, St Kilda, in 1840."

Etymology

Probably from an early Scandinavian word (compare Old (West) Norse álka, Norwegian alke (“razorbill”)).

Inflected Forms

great auks (plural)

Synonyms

garefowl woggin pinguinus impennis

Questions

What does great auk mean?: A large extinct auk (†Pinguinus impennis).
Where does great auk come from?: Probably from an early Scandinavian word (compare Old (West) Norse álka, Norwegian alke (“razorbill”)).

How to pronounce great auk

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