Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

self-

/sɛlf/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.25 in modern English

Syllables
self-
IPA
/sɛlf/
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

of, by, in or with oneself or itself

prefix

automatic

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- From Middle English self-, silf-, seolf-, from Old English self-, sylf-, seolf-, from Proto-Germanic *selba-, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz (“self”). Cognate with Dutch zelf- (“self-”), German Low German sülvst- (“self-”), German selbst- (“self-”), Swedish själv- (“self-”), Icelandic sjálf- (“self-”). More at self.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /sɛlf/
  • British English: /sɛlf/

Phrases

self-adjointness self-centeredness self-confidently self-consciously self-drilling screw self-finished self-finishing self-fulfilling prophecy

Synonyms

auto- ipsi-

Questions

How do you pronounce self-?
The recorded pronunciation is /sɛlf/.
What does self- mean?
of, by, in or with oneself or itself
Where does self- come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce self-

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