Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sunk cost

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.73 in modern English

Syllables: sunk -cost
IPA

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A cost that has already been incurred and which cannot be recovered to any significant degree.

Example Sentences

"sunk costs fallacy"

Inflected Forms

sunk costs (plural)

Questions

What does sunk cost mean?: A cost that has already been incurred and which cannot be recovered to any significant degree.

How to pronounce sunk cost

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