Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

herculaneum

/ˌhɜɹkjəˈleɪni.əm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.18 in modern English

Syllables: her-cu-la-neum
IPA: /ˌhɜɹkjəˈleɪni.əm/

18

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

An ancient town in modern Campania, Italy, which was entirely destroyed by the same eruption of Vesuvius that also turned Pompeii into a ruin.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin Herculaneum, named for the mythical figure Hercules.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌhɜɹkjəˈleɪni.əm/
British English: /ˌhɜːkjuˈleɪni.əm/

Questions

How do you pronounce herculaneum?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhɜɹkjəˈleɪni.əm/.
What does herculaneum mean?: An ancient town in modern Campania, Italy, which was entirely destroyed by the same eruption of Vesuvius that also turned Pompeii into a ruin.
Where does herculaneum come from?: Unadapted borrowing from Latin Herculaneum, named for the mythical figure Hercules.

How to pronounce herculaneum

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “herculaneum”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌhɜɹkjəˈleɪni.əm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “herculaneum”.
Repeat and practice — Say “herculaneum” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.