Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kerplunk

/kə(ɹ)ˈplʌŋk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.45 in modern English

Syllables: ker-plunk
IPA: /kə(ɹ)ˈplʌŋk/

18

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A sound of someone or something falling and landing heavily.

Informal

noun

A disappointment which comes as a surprise.

American usage; Dated; Slang

intj

Used to indicate a thudding sound.

verb

To make the sound of falling and landing heavily; to thud.

Informal; Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"If my life were a Saturday-morning cartoon, you would have heard a loud kerplunk as my stomach dropped. My poor starving stomach. It was under such stress already, and now this."
"We flipped to see who'd go first and I won, which meant Claudia had to dial. I called the number out loud for her, and inside me my heart was suddenly going "kerplunk, kerplunk, kerplunk," heavy as an elephant's feet."

Etymology

From ker- (prefix forming onomatopoeias imitating the effect or sound of a heavy object falling) + plunk (“dull thud of something landing on a surface”).

Word Breakdown

Prefix: ker

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /kə(ɹ)ˈplʌŋk/
British English: /kəˈplʌŋk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

kerplunks (plural) kerplunks (present, singular) kerplunking (participle, present) kerplunked (participle, past) kerplunked (past)

Frequently Paired Words

splosh kersplosh

Synonyms

kerchunk plunk thud

Rhymes With

drunk punk trunk junk sunk funk chunk dunk bunk unc shrunk hunk

Questions

How do you pronounce kerplunk?: The recorded pronunciation is /kə(ɹ)ˈplʌŋk/.
What does kerplunk mean?: A sound of someone or something falling and landing heavily.
Where does kerplunk come from?: From ker- (prefix forming onomatopoeias imitating the effect or sound of a heavy object falling) + plunk (“dull thud of something landing on a surface”).

How to pronounce kerplunk

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