Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tanzanite

/ˈtænzəˌnaɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.89 in modern English

Syllables
tan-zan-ite
IPA
/ˈtænzəˌnaɪt/
18
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A trichroic violet-blue variety of the mineral zoisite mined in Tanzania, used as a gemstone.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Tanzania + -ite (suffix forming nouns denoting minerals or rocks), coined by Henry B. Platt, a vice president of the American jeweler Tiffany & Co. when it first marketed the gem in 1968: see the October 3, 1968, quotation.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈtænzəˌnaɪt/
  • British English: /ˈtænzənaɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

blue zoisite pleochroic zoisite vanadium zoisite

Questions

How do you pronounce tanzanite?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtænzəˌnaɪt/.
What does tanzanite mean?
A trichroic violet-blue variety of the mineral zoisite mined in Tanzania, used as a gemstone.
Where does tanzanite come from?
From Tanzania + -ite (suffix forming nouns denoting minerals or rocks), coined by Henry B. Platt, a vice president of the American jeweler Tiffany & Co. when it first marketed the gem in 1968: see the October 3, 1968, quotation.

How to pronounce tanzanite

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