Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

head louse

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.60 in modern English

Syllables
head- louse
IPA
13
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A parasitic insect, Pediculus humanus capitis, which lives among the hairs on the head of a human and feeds on blood.

Etymology

From head + louse. Compare North Frisian hoodlüs (“headlouse”), Dutch hoofdluis (“headlouse”), Swedish huvudlus (“headlouse”), Icelandic höfuðlús (“headlouse”).

Inflected Forms

head lice (plural) headlouse (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

nit

Synonyms

pediculus capitis

Questions

What does head louse mean?
A parasitic insect, Pediculus humanus capitis, which lives among the hairs on the head of a human and feeds on blood.
Where does head louse come from?
From head + louse. Compare North Frisian hoodlüs (“headlouse”), Dutch hoofdluis (“headlouse”), Swedish huvudlus (“headlouse”), Icelandic höfuðlús (“headlouse”).

How to pronounce head louse

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