Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

play hooky

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.24 in modern English

Syllables
play hooky
IPA
24
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To play truant; to avoid (informally: skip) school, work, or other duties (stay away from these without permission nor an excuse); to skive or to bunk off (UK);

American usage

Example Sentences

Etymology

See hooky for its origin; the construction of the phrase is in the same vein as play truant.

Usage

Inflected Forms

plays hooky (present, singular) playing hooky (participle, present) played hooky (participle, past) played hooky (past) play hookey (alternative) play hookie (alternative)

Phrases

play truant bug out

Frequently Paired Words

truant play truant mitch wag bug out

Synonyms

play truant bunk off

Questions

What does play hooky mean?
To play truant; to avoid (informally: skip) school, work, or other duties (stay away from these without permission nor an excuse); to skive or to bunk off (UK);
Where does play hooky come from?
See hooky for its origin; the construction of the phrase is in the same vein as play truant.

How to pronounce play hooky

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “play hooky”.
  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 “play hooky”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “play hooky” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.