Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

waiau

/waɪˈaʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.17 in modern English

Syllables: wa-iau
IPA: /waɪˈaʊ/

8

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A river in western Southland, New Zealand, which flows into Te Waewae Bay.

name

A river in north Canterbury, New Zealand, which flows into the Pacific Ocean, known since 2018 as the Waiau Uwha River.

name

A river in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, which joins the Wairoa River.

name

A small town in north Canterbury, New Zealand, situated on the Waiau Uwha River.

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori.

Questions

How do you pronounce waiau?: The recorded pronunciation is /waɪˈaʊ/.
What does waiau mean?: A river in western Southland, New Zealand, which flows into Te Waewae Bay.
Where does waiau come from?: Borrowed from Māori.

How to pronounce waiau

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