Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vocable

/ˈvoʊkəbl̩/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: vo-ca-ble
IPA: /ˈvoʊkəbl̩/

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A word or utterance, especially with reference to its form rather than its meaning.

noun

A syllable or sound without specific meaning, used together with or in place of actual words in a song.

adj

Able to be uttered.

Example Sentences

"Without words and almost with the seriousness of asylum nurses they at once set upon an unsavoury-looking matron who began to cry out Mediterranean vocables of distress."
"At first the man puzzled; then he smiled. He pronounced a string of uncouth vocables."
"Many Native American songs employ vocables, syllables that do not have referential meaning. These may be used to frame words or may be inserted among them; in some cases, they constitute the entire song text."
"a vocable marker"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ-der. Proto-Indo-European *wokʷ-der. Latin voc(ā) Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Latin -bulum Latin vocābulumder. Middle French vocablebor. ▲ Latin vocābulumbor. Middle English vocable English vocable From Middle English vocable, from Middle French vocable and its etymon, Latin vocābulum, from vocō (“to call”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: vocable, vocābulum
Suffix: la:vocō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈvoʊkəbl̩/
British English: /ˈvəʊkəbl̩/

Inflected Forms

vocables (plural)

Derived Forms

vocability

Frequently Paired Words

vocabular vocabulary

Synonyms

utterable voiceable spoken word

Questions

How do you pronounce vocable?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈvoʊkəbl̩/.
What does vocable mean?: A word or utterance, especially with reference to its form rather than its meaning.
Where does vocable come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce vocable

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