Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

heebie-jeebies

/ˌhiː.biːˈdʒiː.biːz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.79 in modern English

Syllables
hee-bie--jee-bies
IPA
/ˌhiː.biːˈdʒiː.biːz/
27
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
5
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A general feeling of anxiety, fear, uneasiness, or nausea.

American usage; Informal

Example Sentences

Etymology

The earliest found occurrences of spelling variants (it is not established whether the first one coined the term or committed to print an earlier oral expression): * In 1923, the spelling "heeby jeebys" was used by U.S. cartoonist Billy De Beck in his comic strip Barney Google (New York American, 26 October 1923). * In 1925, the spelling "heebee-jeebees" was used in U.S. magazine Ladies' Home Journal (Vol. 42, Part 2, p. 44). * In 1926, the spelling "heebie jeebies" was used by U.S. singer Louis Armstrong for his single "Heebie Jeebies" (written by Boyd Atkins). * In 1928, the spelling "heebee-geebees" was used in U.S. article "We All Have the Heebee-Geebees" by G. M. Keller of Swift & Company (Modern School Store, Vol. 11, p. 269 via Google Books). * In 1956, the spelling "heeby jeebies" was used by U.S. singer Little Richard on the cover of his homonymous SP record (and the hyphenated spelling "heeby-jeebies" on its vinyl disc itself).

Usage

Inflected Forms

heebee-geebees (alternative) heebee geebees (alternative) heebeegeebees (alternative) heebygeebies (alternative) heebee-jeebees (alternative) heebee jeebees (alternative) heebeejeebees (alternative) heebie jeebies (alternative) heebiejeebies (alternative) heeby-jeebies (alternative) heeby jeebies (alternative) heebyjeebies (alternative)

Phrases

give someone the creeps give someone the willies

Frequently Paired Words

give someone the creeps give someone the willies

Synonyms

creeps willies collywobbles fear jitters screaming meemies

Questions

How do you pronounce heebie-jeebies?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhiː.biːˈdʒiː.biːz/.
What does heebie-jeebies mean?
A general feeling of anxiety, fear, uneasiness, or nausea.
Where does heebie-jeebies come from?
The earliest found occurrences of spelling variants (it is not established whether the first one coined the term or committed to print an earlier oral expression): * In 1923, the spelling "heeby jeebys" was used by U.S. cartoonist Billy De Beck in his comic strip Barney Google (New York American, 26 October 1923). * In 1925, the spelling "heebee-jeebees" was used in U.S. magazine Ladies' Home Journal (Vol. 42, Part 2, p. 44). * In 1926, the spelling "heebie jeebies" was used by U.S. singer Louis Armstrong for his single "Heebie Jeebies" (written by Boyd Atkins). * In 1928, the spelling "heebee-geebees" was used in U.S. article "We All Have the Heebee-Geebees" by G. M. Keller of Swift & Company (Modern School Store, Vol. 11, p. 269 via Google Books). * In 1956, the spelling "heeby jeebies" was used by U.S. singer Little Richard on the cover of his homonymous SP record (and the hyphenated spelling "heeby-jeebies" on its vinyl disc itself).

How to pronounce heebie-jeebies

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