Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tolkien

/ˈtɒlkiːn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.18 in modern English

Syllables
Tol-kien
IPA
/ˈtɒlkiːn/
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A surname.

Countable

name

A surname.

Countable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Likely from Middle Low German Tolkin (literally “son of Tolk”), which is probably also related to Polish Tołkiny and German Tolksdorf, names for a Prussian town; the nickname Tolk is connected to Middle Low German tolk (“interpreter”), from Proto-Slavic *tъlkъ. J. R. R. Tolkien subscribed to a folk etymology that connected the name with German tollkühn (“foolhardy”).

Word Breakdown

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in People.

Inflected Forms

Tolkiens (plural)

Derived Forms

Tolkie Tolkiendil Tolkienesque Tolkienian Tolkienish Tolkienism Tolkienist Tolkienite Tolkienologist Tolkienology Tolkieny

Synonyms

JRRT

Questions

How do you pronounce tolkien?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɒlkiːn/.
What does tolkien mean?
A surname.
Where does tolkien come from?
Likely from Middle Low German Tolkin (literally “son of Tolk”), which is probably also related to Polish Tołkiny and German Tolksdorf, names for a Prussian town; the nickname Tolk is connected to Middle Low German tolk (“interpreter”), from Proto-Slavic *tъlkъ. J. R. R. Tolkien subscribed to a folk etymology that connected the name with German tollkühn (“foolhardy”).

How to pronounce tolkien

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