Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

middle finger

/ˈmɪdəl ˈfɪŋɡə(ɹ)/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.40 in modern English

Syllables: mid-dle fin-ger
IPA: /ˈmɪdəl ˈfɪŋɡə(ɹ)/

20

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The finger between the forefinger and the ring finger.

noun

An obscene gesture directed towards another as an insult, made by sticking up the middle finger of a hand.

noun

An insult directed at someone.

Example Sentences

"An Indiana man argues in a federal lawsuit filed last week that he had a First Amendment right to give the middle finger to a state trooper, and that his free speech was violated when the gesture earned him a ticket."
"Her whole way of being is a big middle finger to the other guy."
"Beem called the tactic [paying US$23500 settlement in coins] "petty and a grand waste of time" and said the coin delivery was "a symbolic middle finger.""

Etymology

From Middle English myddel fynger. By surface analysis, middle + finger.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: myddel fynger

Inflected Forms

middle fingers (plural)

Phrases

Chinese middle finger middle-finger mid-finger

Frequently Paired Words

mid-finger

Synonyms

fuck finger long finger medius mid-finger tall man the finger dirty finger middle finger

Questions

How do you pronounce middle finger?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɪdəl ˈfɪŋɡə(ɹ)/.
What does middle finger mean?: The finger between the forefinger and the ring finger.
Where does middle finger come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce middle finger

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