Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

turn a deaf ear

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.84 in modern English

Syllables: turn a deaf- ear
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To refuse to listen to.

Example Sentences

"They turned a deaf ear to her entreaties."
"This really confirms that Sacramentans turn a deaf ear to efforts to legislate bigotry and homophobia. Sacramento ought to take a lot of pride in looking at their community as one that tolerates diversity."

Inflected Forms

turns a deaf ear (present, singular) turning a deaf ear (participle, present) turned a deaf ear (participle, past) turned a deaf ear (past)

Phrases

fall on deaf ears preach to deaf ears turn a blind eye

Frequently Paired Words

fall on deaf ears preach to deaf ears turn a blind eye

Questions

What does turn a deaf ear mean?: To refuse to listen to.

How to pronounce turn a deaf ear

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