Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gum up the works

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.92 in modern English

Syllables
gum up the -works
IPA
28
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
2
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Synonym of throw a spanner in the works.

Informal

Etymology

From gum up + the works.

Usage

Inflected Forms

gums up the works (present, singular) gumming up the works (participle, present) gummed up the works (participle, past) gummed up the works (past)

Synonyms

throw a spanner in the works

Questions

What does gum up the works mean?
Synonym of throw a spanner in the works.
Where does gum up the works come from?
From gum up + the works.

How to pronounce gum up the works

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