Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pretty penny

/ˌpɹɪti ˈpɛni/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.05 in modern English

Syllables: pret-ty pen-ny
IPA: /ˌpɹɪti ˈpɛni/

21

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Chiefly preceded by a: a considerable amount of money; a high income or price.

Informal

Example Sentences

"They could charge a pretty penny as they had a captive audience."
"VVhy here may be a pretty Penny tovvards, if the Devil don't croſs it."
"We shall have our branch line—our shares are up, sir—and we buy your three fields along the Brawl, and put a pretty penny into your pocket, Mr. Pendennis."
"[E]verything's as nice as can be all over the house, and that watered-silk she had on cost a pretty penny."
""Then the Captain might still make a pretty penny on Amita," said the Scotchman."
"He didn't know—he expected she was spending a pretty penny on dress."

Etymology

From pretty (“(dated) moderately large, considerable”) + penny (“money in general”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌpɹɪti ˈpɛni/
British English: /ˌpɹɪti ˈpɛni/

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

pretty pennies (plural)

Phrases

cost dear give one's eye-teeth give one's left nut give one's right arm

Frequently Paired Words

cost dear give one's eye-teeth give one's left nut give one's right arm

Synonyms

an arm and a leg fair penny fine penny fortune

Rhymes With

any many penny bad penny kenny jenny benny kilkenny henny letterkenny genny fenny

Questions

How do you pronounce pretty penny?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌpɹɪti ˈpɛni/.
What does pretty penny mean?: Chiefly preceded by a: a considerable amount of money; a high income or price.
Where does pretty penny come from?: From pretty (“(dated) moderately large, considerable”) + penny (“money in general”).

How to pronounce pretty penny

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