Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sixpence

/ˈsɪks.pəns/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.68 in modern English

Syllables: six-pence
IPA: /ˈsɪks.pəns/

19

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The value of six old pence; half of a shilling; or one-fortieth of a pound sterling.

Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

A former British or Irish coin worth six pennies, first minted in 1551.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Finest apples, sixpence each."
"When the ferry-boat with her wild freight pushed into the stream, nobody cared sixpence for the wasted time but the captain of the craft."
"Have you got two sixpences for a shilling?"
""One penny, sir!" He was roused at once from his abstraction; for it was a question to himself whether he had even that in his pocket. Sixpence was, however, discovered; he paid the toll, and passed on."
"I remember playing card games with my grandfather. Games of memory, not of skill. If I won, he gave me sixpence; if he won, he didn't. We would play until I was bored, or until he ran out of sixpences."

Etymology

From six + pence.

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈsɪks.pəns/

Usage

Inflected Forms

sixpences (plural)

Phrases

look as if one had lost a shilling and found sixpence look as if one has lost a shilling and found sixpence mill-sixpence on a sixpence upon a sixpence

Frequently Paired Words

twopence tuppence threepence fourpence fivepence eightpence tenpence

Synonyms

sixpenny bit tanner lord tester tizzy hog pig sow's baby

Questions

How do you pronounce sixpence?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɪks.pəns/.
What does sixpence mean?: The value of six old pence; half of a shilling; or one-fortieth of a pound sterling.
Where does sixpence come from?: From six + pence.

How to pronounce sixpence

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