Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tread lightly

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.39 in modern English

Syllables
tread- -light-ly
IPA
20
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To proceed carefully; especially, to seek to avoid causing offense.

Example Sentences

Inflected Forms

treads lightly (present, singular) treading lightly (participle, present) trod lightly (past) treaded lightly (past) trodden lightly (participle, past) trod lightly (participle, past) treaded lightly (participle, past)

Phrases

walk on eggshells

Frequently Paired Words

walk on eggshells

Synonyms

tread carefully

Questions

What does tread lightly mean?
To proceed carefully; especially, to seek to avoid causing offense.

How to pronounce tread lightly

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