Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

teach someone a lesson

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.24 in modern English

Syllables
teach -some-one a -les-son
IPA
26
Scrabble Score
19
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To punish someone for a serious transgression they have committed so that they do not commit it again.

Informal

Usage

Inflected Forms

teaches someone a lesson (present, singular) teaching someone a lesson (participle, present) taught someone a lesson (participle, past) taught someone a lesson (past)

Phrases

show someone who's boss

Frequently Paired Words

show someone who's boss

Synonyms

have someone's head fix someone's wagon nail someone to the wall amerce castigate chasten chastise come down on correct have someone's guts for garters have someone's hide give it to someone

Questions

What does teach someone a lesson mean?
To punish someone for a serious transgression they have committed so that they do not commit it again.

How to pronounce teach someone a lesson

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “teach someone a lesson”.
  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 “teach someone a lesson”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “teach someone a lesson” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.