Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ring false

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.41 in modern English

Syllables: ring -false
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To seem to be incorrect, or implausible.

Example Sentences

"His excuse about his car breaking down again rings false to me."
"Moments of potential transcendence, such as an afternoon constitutional through an expressionistic wonderland recalling the Fuji Velvia vividness of What Dreams May Come, ring false in light of this project's mercenary origins."
"But to some viewers, it rang false. They had seen this pattern before: show writes meme-able scene; scene becomes meme; instant marketing; profit."

Inflected Forms

rings false (present, singular) ringing false (participle, present) rang false (past) rung false (participle, past)

Synonyms

ring hollow

Antonyms

ring true

Questions

What does ring false mean?: To seem to be incorrect, or implausible.

How to pronounce ring false

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