Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

penny wise and pound foolish

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.53 in modern English

Syllables: pen-ny -wise and -pound -fool-ish
IPA

42

Scrabble Score

24

Letters

6

Syllables

14

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Prudent and thrifty with small amounts of money, but wasteful with large amounts.

Example Sentences

"In the past our government has nowhere been more penny wise and pound foolish than in connection with its expenditures for conservation."

Etymology

From the British currency (one penny being one hundredth of a pound or, prior to decimalisation, one 240th of a pound).

Inflected Forms

more penny wise and pound foolish (comparative) most penny wise and pound foolish (superlative) penny-wise and pound-foolish (alternative) penny wise, pound foolish (alternative)

Phrases

chase pennies with dollars false economy in for a penny, in for a pound penny-wise pound-foolish take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves

Frequently Paired Words

chase pennies with dollars false economy in for a penny, in for a pound penny-wise pound-foolish take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves

Questions

What does penny wise and pound foolish mean?: Prudent and thrifty with small amounts of money, but wasteful with large amounts.
Where does penny wise and pound foolish come from?: From the British currency (one penny being one hundredth of a pound or, prior to decimalisation, one 240th of a pound).

How to pronounce penny wise and pound foolish

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