Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

it never rains but it pours

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.13 in modern English

Syllables
it n-ev-er rain-s but it pours
IPA
29
Scrabble Score
22
Letters
4
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

Unfortunate events occur in quantity.

Etymology

Attested as early as the early 18th century. The modern form of the expression first appeared in print as early as 1772. For quotations using this term, see Citations:it never rains but it pours.

Inflected Forms

it never rains but that it pours (alternative) when it rains, it pours (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

bad things come in threes

Synonyms

misfortunes never come singly

Questions

What does it never rains but it pours mean?
Unfortunate events occur in quantity.
Where does it never rains but it pours come from?
Attested as early as the early 18th century. The modern form of the expression first appeared in print as early as 1772. For quotations using this term, see Citations:it never rains but it pours.

How to pronounce it never rains but it pours

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “it never rains but it pours”.
  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 “it never rains but it pours”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “it never rains but it pours” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.