Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

great vowel shift

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.31 in modern English

Syllables: great vow-el shift
IPA

28

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

2

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A major change in the pronunciation of the English language, affecting the sounds of long vowels, that took place in England between 1350 and 1700.

Example Sentences

"Because English spelling was becoming standardized in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Great Vowel Shift is responsible for many of the peculiarities of English spelling."

Etymology

Coined by Danish linguist Otto Jespersen.

Inflected Forms

the Great Vowel Shift (canonical)

Questions

What does great vowel shift mean?: A major change in the pronunciation of the English language, affecting the sounds of long vowels, that took place in England between 1350 and 1700.
Where does great vowel shift come from?: Coined by Danish linguist Otto Jespersen.

How to pronounce great vowel shift

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “great vowel shift”.
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 “great vowel shift”.
Repeat and practice — Say “great vowel shift” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.