Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

spend a penny

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.02 in modern English

Syllables
spend a pen-ny
IPA
19
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To use the toilet.

British usage; Dated

Example Sentences

Etymology

From the act of putting a (pre-decimal) penny in the slot of a pay-toilet cubicle.

Usage

Inflected Forms

spends a penny (present, singular) spending a penny (participle, present) spent a penny (participle, past) spent a penny (past)

Synonyms

make urinate piddle puddle micturate piss pee pee-pee make water relieve oneself take a leak wee

Questions

What does spend a penny mean?
To use the toilet.
Where does spend a penny come from?
From the act of putting a (pre-decimal) penny in the slot of a pay-toilet cubicle.

How to pronounce spend a penny

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “spend a penny”.
  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 “spend a penny”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “spend a penny” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.