Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

spare the rod and spoil the child

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.55 in modern English

Syllables
spare the rod and spoil the child
IPA
45
Scrabble Score
27
Letters
1
Syllables
13
Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

If one does not discipline a child, they will never learn obedience and good manners.

Etymology

Commonly claimed to have come from the King James Version of the Bible, Book of Proverbs, 13:24: “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” Due to the associated “spoil" concept which is not in the Bible, it more likely came from a 17th-century poem by Samuel Butler called Hudibras. In the poem, a love affair is likened to a child, and spanking is mockingly commended as a way to make the love grow stronger. The actual verse reads: : What medicine else can cure the fits Of lovers when they lose their wits? Love is a boy by poets styled Then spare the rod and spoil the child.

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Questions

What does spare the rod and spoil the child mean?
If one does not discipline a child, they will never learn obedience and good manners.
Where does spare the rod and spoil the child come from?
Commonly claimed to have come from the King James Version of the Bible, Book of Proverbs, 13:24: “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” Due to the associated “spoil" concept which is not in the Bible, it more likely came from a 17th-century poem by Samuel Butler called Hudibras. In the poem, a love affair is likened to a child, and spanking is mockingly commended as a way to make the love grow stronger. The actual verse reads: : What medicine else can cure the fits Of lovers when they lose their wits? Love is a boy by poets styled Then spare the rod and spoil the child.

How to pronounce spare the rod and spoil the child

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