Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

jitterbug

/ˈd͡ʒɪtə(ɹ)bʌɡ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.07 in modern English

Syllables
jit-ter-bug
IPA
/ˈd͡ʒɪtə(ɹ)bʌɡ/
19
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A nervous or jittery person.

Colloquial

noun

A jazz musician or aficionado.

noun

An uptempo jazz or swing dance which embellishes on the two-step pattern and frequently incorporates acrobatic style swing steps.

noun

Synonym of diddley bow (“type of stringed instrument”).

verb

To dance the jitterbug.

Etymology

From jitter + bug, after the 1934 Cab Calloway song “Jitter Bug”.

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Music.

Inflected Forms

jitterbugs (plural) jitterbugs (present, singular) jitterbugging (participle, present) jitterbugged (participle, past) jitterbugged (past)

Derived Forms

jit jitterbugger

Synonyms

diddley bow jazzbo jazzman jazzperson bundle of nerves nervous wreck worrywart

Questions

How do you pronounce jitterbug?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɪtə(ɹ)bʌɡ/.
What does jitterbug mean?
A nervous or jittery person.
Where does jitterbug come from?
From jitter + bug, after the 1934 Cab Calloway song “Jitter Bug”.

How to pronounce jitterbug

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