Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

play the game

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.36 in modern English

Syllables: play the game
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

1

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To behave fairly; to abide by the rules.

Example Sentences

"And it's not for the sake of a ribboned coat, / Or the selfish hope of a season's fame, / But his captain's hand on his shoulder smote / "Play up! play up! and play the game!""
"Myth #5— Acceptance and participation in the mainstream of society is automatically desirable. In order to be accepted you may have to compromise important personal values because average middle-American values are most important. You have to "play the game"."

Inflected Forms

plays the game (present, singular) playing the game (participle, present) played the game (participle, past) played the game (past)

Phrases

play ball

Frequently Paired Words

play ball

Synonyms

play by the rules

Questions

What does play the game mean?: To behave fairly; to abide by the rules.

How to pronounce play the game

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