Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

weakest link

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.57 in modern English

Syllables: weakest link
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

1

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The part of a system that is most likely to cause problems or fail.

Etymology

The figurative sense comes by metaphor from the literal sense: the notion that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. (See historical details there.)

Inflected Forms

weakest links (plural) weak link (alternative)

Phrases

a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

Frequently Paired Words

a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

Synonyms

Achilles heel weak point

Questions

What does weakest link mean?: The part of a system that is most likely to cause problems or fail.
Where does weakest link come from?: The figurative sense comes by metaphor from the literal sense: the notion that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. (See historical details there.)

How to pronounce weakest link

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “weakest link”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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