Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mother-hen

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.55 in modern English

Syllables: moth-er-hen
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To behave in an overprotective or extremely nurturing manner (towards).

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Concerned for Diane's well-being, he mother-henned her constantly."
"He watched as Jo mother-henned her entire family, including the kids, into the closed café."
"The two little ones were up on the sidewalk now, being mother-henned by two ladies with blue hair and eating ice cream."

Usage

Inflected Forms

mother-hens (present, singular) mother-henning (participle, present) mother-henned (participle, past) mother-henned (past)

Phrases

mother hen

Frequently Paired Words

mother hen henpecked

Synonyms

hen

Questions

What does mother-hen mean?: To behave in an overprotective or extremely nurturing manner (towards).

How to pronounce mother-hen

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