Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

once upon a time

/ˈwʌns.əˈpɑn.əˈtaɪ̯m/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.95 in modern English

Syllables
on-ce upon a -time
IPA
/ˈwʌns.əˈpɑn.əˈtaɪ̯m/
19
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

A long time ago; at some time in the past (a traditional beginning of children's stories, especially fairy tales).

adv

Formerly.

Example Sentences

Synonyms

anciently way back

Questions

How do you pronounce once upon a time?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwʌns.əˈpɑn.əˈtaɪ̯m/.
What does once upon a time mean?
A long time ago; at some time in the past (a traditional beginning of children's stories, especially fairy tales).

How to pronounce once upon a time

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “once upon a time”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwʌns.əˈpɑn.əˈtaɪ̯m/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “once upon a time”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “once upon a time” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.