Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

killdeer

/ˈkɪldɪɹ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.70 in modern English

Syllables: killdeer
IPA: /ˈkɪldɪɹ/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A North American plover (Charadrius vociferus) with a distinctive cry and territorial behavior that includes feigning injury to attract predators and spare the young in the nest.

Example Sentences

"A kill-deer, flying so low as to dip its wings, ever and anon alighted on the margin, its stilt-like legs half submerged as it ran hither and thither, now and then bending to dig in the sand with its long slender bill."

Etymology

Imitative of the bird's call.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɪldɪɹ/
British English: /ˈkɪldɪə/

Inflected Forms

killdeers (plural) kildeer (alternative) killdee (alternative) kill-deer (alternative)

Synonyms

kildeer killdeer plover charadrius vociferus

Questions

How do you pronounce killdeer?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɪldɪɹ/.
What does killdeer mean?: A North American plover (Charadrius vociferus) with a distinctive cry and territorial behavior that includes feigning injury to attract predators and spare the young in the nest.
Where does killdeer come from?: Imitative of the bird's call.

How to pronounce killdeer

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