Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kenneth

/ˈkɛn.əθ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.90 in modern English

Syllables: ken-neth
IPA: /ˈkɛn.əθ/

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A male given name from Scottish Gaelic, originally used in Scotland, popular in all English-speaking countries in the 20th century.

Countable; Uncountable

name

A surname from Scottish Gaelic.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Know, however, that among the soldiers of the Cross I am called Kenneth - Kenneth of the Couching Leopard; at home I have other titles, but they would sound harsh in an Eastern ear."
""The other one, his name was Kenneth, was born in February nineteen twenty-one." "All these Kens," she said."

Etymology

Anglicized form of two Goidelic names, Old Irish Cináed, the name of Scottish kings derived from Pictish *ᚉᚔᚅᚔᚑᚇ (Ciniod), and the saint's name Cainnech (literally “handsome”) (modern Scottish Gaelic Coinneach), as in the surname Mackenzie.

Word Breakdown

Root: -, Cináed, *ᚉᚔᚅᚔᚑᚇ

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in People.

Inflected Forms

Kenneths (plural)

Derived Forms

Kendra

Frequently Paired Words

Ken Kenny

Rhymes With

pennorth

Questions

How do you pronounce kenneth?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɛn.əθ/.
What does kenneth mean?: A male given name from Scottish Gaelic, originally used in Scotland, popular in all English-speaking countries in the 20th century.
Where does kenneth come from?: Anglicized form of two Goidelic names, Old Irish Cináed, the name of Scottish kings derived from Pictish *ᚉᚔᚅᚔᚑᚇ (Ciniod), and the saint's name Cainnech (literally “handsome”) (modern Scottish Gaelic Coinneach), as in the surname Mackenzie.

How to pronounce kenneth

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kenneth”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɛn.əθ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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