Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thembu

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.22 in modern English

Syllables: them-bu
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A member of a certain South African tribe that speak Xhosa and live in Thembuland.

Etymology

From Zulu umThembu (“a Thembu”).

Inflected Forms

Thembus (plural) Tembu (alternative) Thimbu (alternative)

Questions

What does thembu mean?: A member of a certain South African tribe that speak Xhosa and live in Thembuland.
Where does thembu come from?: From Zulu umThembu (“a Thembu”).

How to pronounce thembu

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