Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

paddy wagon

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.44 in modern English

Syllables
pad-dy wag-on
IPA
21
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A police van for transporting prisoners.

Slang

Etymology

Supposedly from Paddy, a derogatory name for an Irishman.

Usage

Inflected Forms

paddy wagons (plural) paddywaggon (alternative) paddy waggon (alternative) paddywagon (alternative)

Synonyms

Black Maria cattle car patrol van patrol wagon pie wagon police wagon police van wagon

Questions

What does paddy wagon mean?
A police van for transporting prisoners.
Where does paddy wagon come from?
Supposedly from Paddy, a derogatory name for an Irishman.

How to pronounce paddy wagon

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