Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

zelig

/ˈzɛlɪɡ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.12 in modern English

Syllables
Ze-lig
IPA
/ˈzɛlɪɡ/
15
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An ordinary person who can change their appearance or behavior to suit their surroundings, especially one who is unexpectedly associated with important events or people.

noun

An unimportant person who appears at multiple important events.

Etymology

From the surname of the character Leonard Zelig from the 1983 film Zelig who meets many famous people in the 1920s and 1930s and, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteristics of the strong personalities around him.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈzɛlɪɡ/
  • British English: /ˈzɛlɪɡ/

Inflected Forms

Zeligs (plural)

Derived Forms

Zeligesque

Phrases

Zelig-like Zelig-like syndrome Zelig syndrome

Synonyms

chameleon

Rhymes With

gezellig

Questions

How do you pronounce zelig?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈzɛlɪɡ/.
What does zelig mean?
An ordinary person who can change their appearance or behavior to suit their surroundings, especially one who is unexpectedly associated with important events or people.
Where does zelig come from?
From the surname of the character Leonard Zelig from the 1983 film Zelig who meets many famous people in the 1920s and 1930s and, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteristics of the strong personalities around him.

How to pronounce zelig

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