Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

half sister

/ˈhæf sɪstɚ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.82 in modern English

Syllables
half -sis-ter
IPA
/ˈhæf sɪstɚ/
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A female sibling sharing a single parent.

noun

A female half sibling (same dam, different sires).

Etymology

From Middle English halfesister, half-suster, half sister, equivalent to half + sister. Compare Dutch halfzus, halfzuster (“half-sister”), German Halbschwester (“half-sister”), Swedish halvsyster (“half-sister”), Icelandic hálfsystir (“half-sister”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhæf sɪstɚ/

Inflected Forms

half sisters (plural) half-sister (alternative) halfsister (alternative)

Phrases

half sister-in-law

Synonyms

half-sister stepsister

Questions

How do you pronounce half sister?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhæf sɪstɚ/.
What does half sister mean?
A female sibling sharing a single parent.
Where does half sister come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce half sister

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