Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

what about

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.09 in modern English

Syllables: what about
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

Used to make a suggestion.

adv

Used to ask someone to consider something or someone that they have apparently not considered.

adv

Used to repeat a question but referring to a different subject or object.

adv

Used to inquire about the purpose of someone introducing a subject to the speaker.

adv

Used to express approval of an occurrence or a result.

Example Sentences

"What about going to a restaurant tonight?"
"You're obviously having a good time, but what about me?"
"Move to another country? What about where we’re going to live?"
"‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You're not dull enough! […] What about the kid's clothes? I don't suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn't you keep anything? A bootee or a bit of embroidery or anything at all?’"
"“Is John coming tomorrow?” “Yes.” “What about David?”"
"“Do you like football?” “No.” “What about basketball?”"

Derived Forms

whataboutery whataboutism whataboutist

Synonyms

how about how’s about what of

Questions

What does what about mean?: Used to make a suggestion.

How to pronounce what about

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