Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

phoney war

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.69 in modern English

Syllables: phoney war
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

During World War II, the period of limited military activity from the outbreak of hostilities on September 3rd, 1939 until Germany's attack on the Low Countries on May 10th, 1940.

name

Alternative letter-case form of Phoney War.

Example Sentences

"Study of the Phoney War, especially on the Franco-German front, is still limited."

Etymology

Attributed to US senator William Borah.

Inflected Forms

the Phoney War (canonical) Phony War (alternative)

Questions

What does phoney war mean?: During World War II, the period of limited military activity from the outbreak of hostilities on September 3rd, 1939 until Germany's attack on the Low Countries on May 10th, 1940.
Where does phoney war come from?: Attributed to US senator William Borah.

How to pronounce phoney war

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “phoney war”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “phoney war” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.