Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

roadrunner

/ˈɹoʊdˌɹʌnɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.40 in modern English

Syllables: road-run-ner
IPA: /ˈɹoʊdˌɹʌnɚ/

11

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Either of two species of fast-running bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family native to North and Central America, the lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox) and, especially, the greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus).

Etymology

From road + runner, probably a calque of Spanish correcaminos (“roadrunner”), from correr (“to run”) + caminos (“roads”).

Word Breakdown

Root: *Hreydʰ-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɹoʊdˌɹʌnɚ/
British English: /ˈɹəʊdˌɹʌnə/

Inflected Forms

roadrunners (plural)

Phrases

greater roadrunner lesser roadrunner

Synonyms

chaparral bird chaparral cock chaparral hen paisano geococcyx californianus

Questions

How do you pronounce roadrunner?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹoʊdˌɹʌnɚ/.
What does roadrunner mean?: Either of two species of fast-running bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family native to North and Central America, the lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox) and, especially, the greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus).
Where does roadrunner come from?: From road + runner, probably a calque of Spanish correcaminos (“roadrunner”), from correr (“to run”) + caminos (“roads”).

How to pronounce roadrunner

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