Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

uncle sugar

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.25 in modern English

Syllables: un-cle -sug-ar
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A personification of the American welfare state.

Example Sentences

"“Uncle Sugar provides well for me. Because of Uncle Sugar I have a good education and the opportunity to retire when I'm thirty-five years old.""
"[An Obama campaign ad] depicted a woman named Julia who from cradle to grave was dependent on all things "government" and could live her life only with the ever-present and all-guiding hand of Uncle Sugar."

Etymology

Blend of Uncle Sam + sugar daddy. Popularized by Mike Huckabee, though not original to him.

Phrases

government cheese

Frequently Paired Words

government cheese

Questions

What does uncle sugar mean?: A personification of the American welfare state.
Where does uncle sugar come from?: Blend of Uncle Sam + sugar daddy. Popularized by Mike Huckabee, though not original to him.

How to pronounce uncle sugar

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