Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vanity fair

/ˌvænəti ˈfɛɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.72 in modern English

Syllables: van-i-ty -fair
IPA: /ˌvænəti ˈfɛɚ/

19

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

Society, especially high society, as a place of self-interest and the superficial.

Derogatory

Example Sentences

"And how will your conscience answer one day for carrying so many bonny lasses to barter modesty for conceit and levity at the metropolitan Vanity Fair?"
"Such a complete Vanity Fair as the Palais Royal, is not, I imagine, to be found any where else"
"Nash, the son of a glass-merchant — Brummell, the hopeful of a small shopkeeper — became the intimates of princes, dukes, and fashionables; were petty kings of Vanity Fair, and were honoured by their subjects."

Etymology

From “Vanity Fair”, location of a debauched year-long festival in the 1678 novel The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌvænəti ˈfɛɚ/
British English: /ˌvænɪti ˈfɛə/

Usage

Derogatory

Questions

How do you pronounce vanity fair?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌvænəti ˈfɛɚ/.
What does vanity fair mean?: Society, especially high society, as a place of self-interest and the superficial.
Where does vanity fair come from?: From “Vanity Fair”, location of a debauched year-long festival in the 1678 novel The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

How to pronounce vanity fair

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌvænəti ˈfɛɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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