Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

offender

/əˈfen.dɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.70 in modern English

Syllables: of-fend-er
IPA: /əˈfen.dɚ/

15

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One who gives or causes offense, or does something wrong.

noun

A person who commits an offense against the law, a lawbreaker.

Example Sentences

"Almost all down trains are late, however; the empty wagon trains are probably the worst offenders and one or two hours' late running by them is not unusual."

Etymology

From Middle English offendour, offender, offendir, equivalent to offend + -er.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: offendour
Suffix: offend

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /əˈfen.dɚ/
British English: /əˈfen.də(ɹ)/

Inflected Forms

offenders (plural) offendor (alternative, obsolete) offendour (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

multioffender offendress

Phrases

habitual offender juvenile offender main offender non-offender repeat offender sex offender sexual offender status offender

Synonyms

wrongdoer

Rhymes With

gender defender tender surrender transgender vendor render lender contender slender blender fender

Questions

How do you pronounce offender?: The recorded pronunciation is /əˈfen.dɚ/.
What does offender mean?: One who gives or causes offense, or does something wrong.
Where does offender come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce offender

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