Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wiretap

/ˈwaɪɚtæp/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.69 in modern English

Syllables
wire-tap
IPA
/ˈwaɪɚtæp/
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A connection installed on a telephone line or other communications system in order to allow a third party to conduct covert surveillance of conversations.

verb

To install or to use such a connection.

Transitive verb

Etymology

Back-formation from wiretapper; or else wire + tap

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈwaɪɚtæp/
  • British English: /ˈwaɪətæp/

Usage

Inflected Forms

wiretaps (plural) wiretaps (present, singular) wiretapping (participle, present) wiretapped (participle, past) wiretapped (past)

Derived Forms

wiretapped wiretapper wiretapping

Synonyms

tap intercept bug

Questions

How do you pronounce wiretap?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwaɪɚtæp/.
What does wiretap mean?
A connection installed on a telephone line or other communications system in order to allow a third party to conduct covert surveillance of conversations.
Where does wiretap come from?
Back-formation from wiretapper; or else wire + tap

How to pronounce wiretap

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