Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

scarlet letter

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.62 in modern English

Syllables: scar-let let-ter
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The letter "A" in scarlet cloth required to be worn by those convicted of adultery in 17th-century Puritan New England.

noun

A highly visible stigma.

Example Sentences

"The Scarlet Letter [title]"
"In the early seventeenth century, all the colonies of New England enacted harsh laws against unchastity: banishment, imprisonment, severe public flogging, the wearing of scarlet letters and other shaming garments for the rest of one's life."
"The scarlet letters that current discourse has slapped upon people deemed “problematic,” deemed “unreachable” for feminism, have created consternation […]"

Inflected Forms

scarlet letters (plural)

Questions

What does scarlet letter mean?: The letter "A" in scarlet cloth required to be worn by those convicted of adultery in 17th-century Puritan New England.

How to pronounce scarlet letter

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “scarlet letter”.
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