Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sangoma

/sæŋˈɡoʊmə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.69 in modern English

Syllables
san-go-ma
IPA
/sæŋˈɡoʊmə/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Bantu *ngòmà Zulu íngoma Zulu isángomabor. English sangoma Borrowed from Zulu isángoma (“diviner, witch doctor, sangoma”), possibly from i- + sa- (prefix meaning ‘of’) + íngoma (“dance song performed at a festival; hymn”). The English word is cognate with Afrikaans sangoma, Swazi sángoma.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /sæŋˈɡoʊmə/
  • British English: /sæŋˈɡəʊmə/

Inflected Forms

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce sangoma?
The recorded pronunciation is /sæŋˈɡoʊmə/.
What does sangoma mean?
A (usually female) traditional healer or herbalist, or witch doctor.
Where does sangoma come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Bantu *ngòmà Zulu íngoma Zulu isángomabor. English sangoma Borrowed from Zulu isángoma (“diviner, witch doctor, sangoma”), possibly from i- + sa- (prefix meaning ‘of’) + íngoma (“dance song performed at a festival; hymn”). The English word is cognate with Afrikaans sangoma, Swazi sángoma.

How to pronounce sangoma

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