Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

misspeak

/mɪsˈspiːk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.41 in modern English

Syllables: mis-s-peak
IPA: /mɪsˈspiːk/

16

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To fail to pronounce, utter, or speak correctly.

American usage

verb

To speak insultingly or disrespectfully.

Intransitive verb; Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Either I misspoke or you misheard."
"The president’s comments on Wednesday came after Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the chamber’s only Black Republican, said that “white supremacy should be denounced at every turn. I think he misspoke, I think he should correct it. If he doesn’t correct it I guess he didn’t misspeak.”"
"In July, both Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves appeared to contradict the commitment to public ownership - but then subsequently said they had misspoken."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂-der. Proto-Germanic *missaz Proto-Germanic *missa- Proto-West Germanic *missa- Old English mis- Proto-Indo-European *spregʰ-? Proto-Indo-European *spreg-? Proto-Germanic *sprekaną Proto-West Germanic *sprekan Old English sprecan Old English missprecan Middle English mysspeken English misspeak From Middle English misspeken, mispeken, mysspeken, from Old English *misspecan, missprecan (“to murmur”), equivalent to mis- + speak.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: mis
Root: misspeken, *misspecan

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /mɪsˈspiːk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

misspeaks (present, singular) misspeaking (participle, present) misspoke (past) misspoken (participle, past)

Derived Forms

misspeaker

Frequently Paired Words

misphrase misstate misword

Synonyms

mistalk mispronounce

Rhymes With

week speak unique weak seek peak greek technique creek leak freak streak

Questions

How do you pronounce misspeak?: The recorded pronunciation is /mɪsˈspiːk/.
What does misspeak mean?: To fail to pronounce, utter, or speak correctly.
Where does misspeak come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce misspeak

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