Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whippersnapper

/ˈʍɪpəɹˌsnæpəɹ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.80 in modern English

Syllables
whip-per-snap-per
IPA
/ˈʍɪpəɹˌsnæpəɹ/
28
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A young and cheeky or presumptuous person; often with a connotation of ignorance via inexperience.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

Etymology

Extension of *whip-snapper (“a cracker of whips”), or perhaps from snipper-snapper. Compare also whipperginnie (“term of abuse for a woman”), late 16th c.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈʍɪpəɹˌsnæpəɹ/
  • British English: /ˈwɪpəˌsnæpə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

whippersnappers (plural) whipper-snapper (alternative) whipper snapper (alternative)

Phrases

spring chicken

Frequently Paired Words

spring chicken upstart youngster

Synonyms

jackanapes lightweight

Questions

How do you pronounce whippersnapper?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʍɪpəɹˌsnæpəɹ/.
What does whippersnapper mean?
A young and cheeky or presumptuous person; often with a connotation of ignorance via inexperience.
Where does whippersnapper come from?
Extension of *whip-snapper (“a cracker of whips”), or perhaps from snipper-snapper. Compare also whipperginnie (“term of abuse for a woman”), late 16th c.

How to pronounce whippersnapper

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