Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

indaba

/ɪnˈdɑbə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.88 in modern English

Syllables
in-da-ba
IPA
/ɪnˈdɑbə/
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A tribal conference held by Nguni leaders.

noun

Any conference, discussion, or meeting.

noun

Chiefly in one's own or someone's indaba: a concern, matter, or problem.

noun

An international conference of Scout leaders.

Etymology

Borrowed from Zulu índaba (“affair, issue, matter; piece of news; story”), from ín- (class 9 noun prefix) + -daɓa (stem meaning ‘affair, matter’).

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɪnˈdɑbə/
  • British English: /ɪnˈdɑːbə/

Inflected Forms

indabas (plural)

Rhymes With

saba sabah gaba aqaba amitabha escanaba laba caba rubalcaba ruvalcaba

Questions

How do you pronounce indaba?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɪnˈdɑbə/.
What does indaba mean?
A tribal conference held by Nguni leaders.
Where does indaba come from?
Borrowed from Zulu índaba (“affair, issue, matter; piece of news; story”), from ín- (class 9 noun prefix) + -daɓa (stem meaning ‘affair, matter’).

How to pronounce indaba

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