Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lay a finger on

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.25 in modern English

Syllables
lay a fin-ger on
IPA
19
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To merely touch.

Colloquial

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lay, a, finger, on: to finger

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English fynger on (hem) to leyn (“touch (someone) with hostile intent”).

Origin

Usage

Inflected Forms

lays a finger on (present, singular) laying a finger on (participle, present) laid a finger on (participle, past) laid a finger on (past)

Questions

What does lay a finger on mean?
To merely touch.
Where does lay a finger on come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce lay a finger on

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