Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

walk on eggshells

/ˌwɔk ɑn ˈɛɡʃɛlz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.44 in modern English

Syllables
walk on eg-gshells
IPA
/ˌwɔk ɑn ˈɛɡʃɛlz/
27
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be overly careful in dealing with a person or situation because they get angry or offended very easily; to try very hard not to upset someone or something.

verb

To be careful and sensitive, in handling very sensitive matters.

Etymology

1800s usage, probably from the imagery that eggshells are easily broken when stepped upon.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌwɔk ɑn ˈɛɡʃɛlz/
  • British English: /ˌwɔːk ɒn ˈɛɡʃɛlz/

Inflected Forms

walks on eggshells (present, singular) walking on eggshells (participle, present) walked on eggshells (participle, past) walked on eggshells (past)

Phrases

on thin ice tiptoe through a minefield tread lightly

Frequently Paired Words

on thin ice pussyfoot tiptoe through a minefield tread lightly

Questions

How do you pronounce walk on eggshells?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌwɔk ɑn ˈɛɡʃɛlz/.
What does walk on eggshells mean?
To be overly careful in dealing with a person or situation because they get angry or offended very easily; to try very hard not to upset someone or something.
Where does walk on eggshells come from?
1800s usage, probably from the imagery that eggshells are easily broken when stepped upon.

How to pronounce walk on eggshells

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “walk on eggshells”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌwɔk ɑn ˈɛɡʃɛlz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “walk on eggshells”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “walk on eggshells” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.