Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tapir

/ˈteɪpiːə(ɹ)/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.29 in modern English

Syllables: tapir
IPA: /ˈteɪpiːə(ɹ)/

7

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An odd-toed ungulate of the genus Tapirus with a long prehensile upper lip.

Example Sentences

"Once a dark, clumsy tapir stared at us from a gap in the bushes, and then lumbered away through the forest; once, too, the yellow, sinuous form of a great puma whisked amid the brushwood, and its green, baleful eyes glared hatred at us over its tawny shoulder."

Etymology

Borrowed from French tapir, from Old Tupi tapi'ira.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: tapir, tapi'ira

Inflected Forms

tapirs (plural)

Derived Forms

tapirless tapirlike tapiroid

Phrases

tapir frog

Synonyms

bush cow mountain cow

Homonyms

taper

Rhymes With

paper daily paper liquid paper distinctive paper vapor taper draper caper scraper shaper raper gaper

Questions

How do you pronounce tapir?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈteɪpiːə(ɹ)/.
What does tapir mean?: An odd-toed ungulate of the genus Tapirus with a long prehensile upper lip.
Where does tapir come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce tapir

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