Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

take up the cudgels

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.78 in modern English

Syllables
take up the cud-gels
IPA
29
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
2
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To engage in a contest.

verb

to make a defence for someone or something; to intercede supportively.

Inflected Forms

takes up the cudgels (present, singular) taking up the cudgels (participle, present) took up the cudgels (past) taken up the cudgels (participle, past)

Phrases

take up the cudgels for take up the cudgel for

Frequently Paired Words

take up the cudgel for

Questions

What does take up the cudgels mean?
To engage in a contest.

How to pronounce take up the cudgels

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