Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

take a gander

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.89 in modern English

Syllables: take a -gan-der
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To take a look; to check or examine.

Example Sentences

"They all went downtown to take a gander at the new shops that had opened there."

Etymology

First recorded in 1887, based on craning the neck like a goose.

Inflected Forms

takes a gander (present, singular) taking a gander (participle, present) took a gander (past) taken a gander (participle, past)

Synonyms

have a look take a look look

Questions

What does take a gander mean?: To take a look; to check or examine.
Where does take a gander come from?: First recorded in 1887, based on craning the neck like a goose.

How to pronounce take a gander

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