Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

once in a blue moon

/wʌns ɪn ə bluː muːn/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.52 in modern English

Syllables
on-ce in a blue -moon
IPA
/wʌns ɪn ə bluː muːn/
21
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

Very rarely; very infrequently.

Example Sentences

Etymology

See blue moon. First use appears c. 1833. See citation below.

Phrases

never event once-in-a-lifetime

Frequently Paired Words

never event once-in-a-lifetime

Synonyms

once in a purple moon rarely seldom infrequently scarcely seldomly uncommonly unoften

Questions

How do you pronounce once in a blue moon?
The recorded pronunciation is /wʌns ɪn ə bluː muːn/.
What does once in a blue moon mean?
Very rarely; very infrequently.
Where does once in a blue moon come from?
See blue moon. First use appears c. 1833. See citation below.

How to pronounce once in a blue moon

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “once in a blue moon”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/wʌns ɪn ə bluː muːn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “once in a blue moon”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “once in a blue moon” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.