Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

merlion

/ˈmɚˌlaɪən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.58 in modern English

Syllables
mer-li-on
IPA
/ˈmɚˌlaɪən/
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Often Merlion: a symbolic creature having the head of a lion and the body of a fish, which is a national symbol of Singapore; an image, statue, or other depiction of this creature.

name

Alternative letter-case form of merlion (“imaginary creature that is a national symbol of Singapore”).

Example Sentences

Etymology

From mer- + lion; sense 1 promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board as the name of a statue installed at the mouth of the Singapore River on 15 September 1972.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɚˌlaɪən/
  • British English: /ˈmɜːˌlaɪən/

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Questions

How do you pronounce merlion?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɚˌlaɪən/.
What does merlion mean?
Often Merlion: a symbolic creature having the head of a lion and the body of a fish, which is a national symbol of Singapore; an image, statue, or other depiction of this creature.
Where does merlion come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce merlion

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