Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

marco polo

/ˈmɑɹkoʊ ˈpoʊloʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.54 in modern English

Syllables: mar-co po-lo
IPA: /ˈmɑɹkoʊ ˈpoʊloʊ/

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A renowned traveler.

Countable

noun

A hunting game—usually played in a swimming pool—where the seeker moves with closed eyes or blindfolded, finding the other players by calling "Marco" and reacting to the other players' replies of "Polo".

Uncountable

noun

Alternative form of Marco Polo.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Ibn Battuta has inevitably been compared with him and has usually taken second prize as "the Marco Polo of the Muslim world" or "the Marco Polo of the tropics""
"Gene Hunt: Come on, then, Marco Polo. Which way? Sam Tyler: [consulting a blueprint] It's this way."

Etymology

After Marco Polo (1254–1324), Venetian merchant, whose travels were documented in a book that introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China. The Italian name is from Latin Marcus + Paulus.

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: -, Marcus

Usage

Inflected Forms

Marco Polos (plural) Marcopolo (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

Marco Polo

Questions

How do you pronounce marco polo?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɑɹkoʊ ˈpoʊloʊ/.
What does marco polo mean?: A renowned traveler.
Where does marco polo come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce marco polo

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