Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ugly duckling

/ˈʌɡ.li ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.65 in modern English

Syllables
ug-ly duck-ling
IPA
/ˈʌɡ.li ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/
24
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful or handsome as they mature.

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ugly, duckling.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Calque of Danish grim ælling. From the fairy tale of a duckling, considered ugly, that matures into a magnificent swan.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈʌɡ.li ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/
  • British English: /ˈʌɡ.liː ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/

Inflected Forms

ugly ducklings (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce ugly duckling?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʌɡ.li ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/.
What does ugly duckling mean?
A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful or handsome as they mature.
Where does ugly duckling come from?
Calque of Danish grim ælling. From the fairy tale of a duckling, considered ugly, that matures into a magnificent swan.

How to pronounce ugly duckling

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