Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

riverbed

/ˈɹɪv.ɚˌbɛd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.58 in modern English

Syllables: riv-er-bed
IPA: /ˈɹɪv.ɚˌbɛd/

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The path where a river runs, or where a river once ran; the bottom earthen part of a river, not including the riverbanks.

Example Sentences

"Near-synonyms: streambed, creekbed"
"The Hang En tour involves a difficult daylong trek over limestone mountain paths and along riverbeds to the remote indigenous village of Ban Doong."
"Detailed laser surveys carried out by Network Rail revealed that fast-flowing water on the River Eden has caused parts of the riverbed to wash away, posing a risk to the viaduct foundations."
"Potential signs of microbial life were found in a rock sample collected by the rover in 2024 from an ancient dry riverbed on Mars' Jezero Crater -- an area of rocky outcrops on the edges the Neretva Vallis, a river valley carved by water rushing to the canyon billions of years ago, NASA officials announced in a press conference on Wednesday."

Etymology

From river + bed. Compare Dutch rivierbedding (“riverbed”), German Flussbett (“riverbed”), Swedish flodbädd (“riverbed”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɹɪv.ɚˌbɛd/
British English: /ˈɹɪv.əˌbɛd/

Inflected Forms

riverbeds (plural) river bed (alternative) river-bed (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

wadi lakebed seabed

Synonyms

river bottom streambed creekbed

Questions

How do you pronounce riverbed?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹɪv.ɚˌbɛd/.
What does riverbed mean?: The path where a river runs, or where a river once ran; the bottom earthen part of a river, not including the riverbanks.
Where does riverbed come from?: From river + bed. Compare Dutch rivierbedding (“riverbed”), German Flussbett (“riverbed”), Swedish flodbädd (“riverbed”).

How to pronounce riverbed

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