Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vorpal

/ˈvɔɹpl̩/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.74 in modern English

Syllables: vor-pal
IPA: /ˈvɔɹpl̩/

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Sharp or deadly.

adj

Having a special power making decapitation likely.

Etymology

Coined by British author and scholar Lewis Carroll in the poem Jabberwocky to describe a sword, likely modeled after warp and vortex + -al.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: al

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈvɔɹpl̩/
British English: /ˈvɔːpl̩/

Inflected Forms

more vorpal (comparative) most vorpal (superlative)

Derived Forms

vorpalize

Questions

How do you pronounce vorpal?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈvɔɹpl̩/.
What does vorpal mean?: Sharp or deadly.
Where does vorpal come from?: Coined by British author and scholar Lewis Carroll in the poem Jabberwocky to describe a sword, likely modeled after warp and vortex + -al.

How to pronounce vorpal

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