Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

smithereen

/ˌsmɪðəˈɹin/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
Smith-er-een
IPA
/ˌsmɪðəˈɹin/
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A native of Smithers, British Columbia.

Canadian usage

noun

A tiny fragment or splinter.

Etymology

From the name of the city, after Sir A. W. Smithers (1850–1924), chairman of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Influenced by smithereens?

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌsmɪðəˈɹin/
  • British English: /smɪðəˈɹiːn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Smithereens (plural)

Derived Forms

smithereened

Rhymes With

between mean seen green clean scene machine queen screen marine dean routine

Questions

How do you pronounce smithereen?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌsmɪðəˈɹin/.
What does smithereen mean?
A native of Smithers, British Columbia.
Where does smithereen come from?
From the name of the city, after Sir A. W. Smithers (1850–1924), chairman of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Influenced by smithereens?

How to pronounce smithereen

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