Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pinkerton

/ˈpɪŋkɚtən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.72 in modern English

Syllables: pinker-ton
IPA: /ˈpɪŋkɚtən/

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A habitational surname from Old English.

noun

An operative employed by the Pinkerton National Detective Agency founded by Allan Pinkerton (1819–1884).

Countable; Dated

Example Sentences

"My heart wells up in admiration of the man, as I think of his participation in the memorable struggle of Homestead. He fought the Pinkertons, the myrmidons of Capital."
"He joined the pickets in the bloody Homestead steel strike of 1892, and actually went so far as to jostle a Pinkerton."

Etymology

Habitational surname from a place near Dunbar, from an unexplained first element + Old English tūn (“enclosure”). This surname is well established in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Origin

Source language: Old English

Word Breakdown

Root: tūn

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɪŋkɚtən/
British English: /ˈpɪŋkətən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Pinkertons (plural)

Derived Forms

Pinkertonian Pinkertonism

Phrases

Pinkerton syndrome

Questions

How do you pronounce pinkerton?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɪŋkɚtən/.
What does pinkerton mean?: A habitational surname from Old English.
Where does pinkerton come from?: It is traced to Old English.

How to pronounce pinkerton

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