Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pinprick

/pˈɪnpɹɪk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.99 in modern English

Syllables: pin-prick
IPA: /pˈɪnpɹɪk/

18

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An insignificant puncture made by a pin or similar point.

noun

A mildly annoying wound or damage.

noun

A very tiny dot.

verb

To produce a jabbing sensation, like a pinprick, in.

Transitive verb

verb

To puncture with a tiny hole or holes.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The stars were pinpricks of light in a clear night sky."
"The water pinpricked her face as she stepped into the shower."
"By now it was dark, velvety dark with a moon, a darkness pinpricked by the lights from the landing place now drawing rapidly closer."
"He had always had to repress the urge to pinprick her enthusiasms."

Etymology

From pin + prick.

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

pinpricks (plural) pin-prick (alternative) pinpricks (present, singular) pinpricking (participle, present) pinpricked (participle, past) pinpricked (past)

Questions

How do you pronounce pinprick?: The recorded pronunciation is /pˈɪnpɹɪk/.
What does pinprick mean?: An insignificant puncture made by a pin or similar point.
Where does pinprick come from?: From pin + prick.

How to pronounce pinprick

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