Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tinkerbell

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.33 in modern English

Syllables: tin-ker-bell
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Anything whose existence or power depends on the faith of believers.

noun

A homosexual or effeminate man.

Derogatory; Offensive; Slang

Example Sentences

"I characterize it as the "Tinkerbell Approach" to policy development: It might work if all the children would just believe hard enough and clap their hands"
"Sometimes I get the impression that the Tinkerbell theory is taking over: that the existence of God is dependent on our own existence and perceptions."
"The New.net venture underlined an important principle: ICANN's authority over the DNS root is fundamentally subject to the "Tinkerbell" principle."
"When he confronted his boss he screamed at him about being gay and fired him saying he didn't want "Tinkerbells" working for him."

Etymology

After a fairy in J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan (1902), in which the name is spelled Tinker Bell. She was described by Barrie as a fairy who mended pots and kettles, like an actual tinker, and her speech consists of the sounds of a tinkling bell.

Usage

Inflected Forms

Tinkerbells (plural)

Phrases

Tinkerbell line

Questions

What does tinkerbell mean?: Anything whose existence or power depends on the faith of believers.
Where does tinkerbell come from?: After a fairy in J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan (1902), in which the name is spelled Tinker Bell. She was described by Barrie as a fairy who mended pots and kettles, like an actual tinker, and her speech consists of the sounds of a tinkling bell.

How to pronounce tinkerbell

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “tinkerbell”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “tinkerbell” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.