Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

make do and mend

/ˈmeɪk ˈduː ən ˈmɛnd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.33 in modern English

Syllables
make -do and -mend
IPA
/ˈmeɪk ˈduː ən ˈmɛnd/
24
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To follow a philosophy, during World War II, of repairing clothes etc that would normally be discarded due to shortages and rationing.

British usage

verb

Generally, to repair and reuse.

British usage

verb

To make the best of a situation.

British usage

Example Sentences

Etymology

From the title of a booklet issued by the UK Ministry of Information.

Usage

Inflected Forms

makes do and mends (present, singular) making do and mending (participle, present) made do and mended (participle, past) made do and mended (past)

Phrases

make and mend

Frequently Paired Words

make and mend

Questions

How do you pronounce make do and mend?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmeɪk ˈduː ən ˈmɛnd/.
What does make do and mend mean?
To follow a philosophy, during World War II, of repairing clothes etc that would normally be discarded due to shortages and rationing.
Where does make do and mend come from?
From the title of a booklet issued by the UK Ministry of Information.

How to pronounce make do and mend

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