Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rubbernecking

/ˈɹʊbɚˌnɛkɪŋ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.56 in modern English

Syllables: rub-ber-neck-ing
IPA: /ˈɹʊbɚˌnɛkɪŋ/

24

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The act of slowing down while driving a vehicle, in order to see the scene of an accident.

Uncountable

noun

Generally, any act of observation in a manner considered unduly overt or otherwise unseemly.

Uncountable

verb

present participle and gerund of rubberneck

Example Sentences

""The resulting wreckage blocks the entire southbound side of the Interstate, while the inevitable rubbernecking slows traffic on the northbound side to little more than the speed of a brisk walk.""
"The children had never been in such a large museum and their rubbernecking was rather amusing."
""Kids all up and down the Triboro corridors are staring, I can sense it. Why are they rubbernecking, what are they staring at?""

Etymology

From rubber + neck + -ing.

Usage

Uncountable

Phrases

gapers' block gawkers' block

Frequently Paired Words

gapers' block gawkers' block

Questions

How do you pronounce rubbernecking?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹʊbɚˌnɛkɪŋ/.
What does rubbernecking mean?: The act of slowing down while driving a vehicle, in order to see the scene of an accident.
Where does rubbernecking come from?: From rubber + neck + -ing.

How to pronounce rubbernecking

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