Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

soft pedal

/ˈsɔf(t)ˌpɛdəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.60 in modern English

Syllables
soft ped-al
IPA
/ˈsɔf(t)ˌpɛdəl/
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The leftmost foot-pedal on most pianos which, when pushed, dampens the strings and so softens the note played.

Etymology

From soft (“of sound: quiet”) + pedal.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈsɔf(t)ˌpɛdəl/
  • British English: /ˈsɒf(t)ˌpɛdl̩/

Inflected Forms

soft pedals (plural)

Phrases

soft-pedal

Frequently Paired Words

sostenuto pedal sustain pedal

Synonyms

una corda pedal

Homonyms

soft-pedal

Questions

How do you pronounce soft pedal?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɔf(t)ˌpɛdəl/.
What does soft pedal mean?
The leftmost foot-pedal on most pianos which, when pushed, dampens the strings and so softens the note played.
Where does soft pedal come from?
From soft (“of sound: quiet”) + pedal.

How to pronounce soft pedal

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