Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

jaywalk

/ˈd͡ʒeɪ.wɔːk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.72 in modern English

Syllables
jay-walk
IPA
/ˈd͡ʒeɪ.wɔːk/
24
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To behave as a jaywalker; to violate pedestrian traffic regulations by crossing a street away from a designated crossing or to walk in the part of the street intended for vehicles rather than on the sidewalk.

American usage; Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

Etymology

Back-formation from jaywalker. Analyzable as jay (“a stupid person”) + walk.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /ˈd͡ʒeɪ.wɔːk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

jaywalks (present, singular) jaywalking (participle, present) jaywalked (participle, past) jaywalked (past) J walk (alternative, nonstandard) J-walk (alternative, nonstandard)

Derived Forms

jaywalker jaywalking

Frequently Paired Words

jayrun jayrunner jayrunning

Questions

How do you pronounce jaywalk?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒeɪ.wɔːk/.
What does jaywalk mean?
To behave as a jaywalker; to violate pedestrian traffic regulations by crossing a street away from a designated crossing or to walk in the part of the street intended for vehicles rather than on the sidewalk.
Where does jaywalk come from?
Back-formation from jaywalker. Analyzable as jay (“a stupid person”) + walk.

How to pronounce jaywalk

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