Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

zilch

/zɪlt͡ʃ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.47 in modern English

Syllables: zilch
IPA: /zɪlt͡ʃ/

19

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A nobody: a person who is worthless in importance or character.

Archaic; Countable; Informal

noun

Informal; Uncountable

adj

No, zero, non-existent.

American usage; Informal

verb

To cause to score nothing, to thoroughly defeat.

American usage; Informal

name

A surname from German.

Example Sentences

"President Henry P. Zilch. Chairman of the Board Charles D. Zilch. Treasurer Otto Zilch."
"Bernarr MacZilch [for Bernarr Macfadden] and His Dynamic-Hooey System... The WEAKLING Who Became 'The World's Most Perfect Ass!'"
"Dinglegoofer, Mr. Zilch, indefinite nicknames."
"Her search for decent home-made winter clothes came up with zilch, so she had to get imported stuff."
""If the homeless wind up with zilch," James retorted, veiling his indignation behind a malevolent smile, "it's because they deserve zilch.""
"Zilch, adj. Nothing, zero..."

Etymology

Probably from Joe Zilch, a placeholder name (compare John Doe) used by Nunnally Johnson in his column in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1923; in turn from Joe Zilch, an unseen character referenced in comedian Frank Tinney's stage routine. Compare the rare German surname Zilch.

Origin

Source language: German

Word Breakdown

Root: Zilch

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /zɪlt͡ʃ/
British English: /zɪlt͡ʃ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

zilches (plural) zilches (present, singular) zilching (participle, present) zilched (participle, past) zilched (past)

Synonyms

absolute zero also-ran chopped liver cipher crumb Joe Nobody little guy minnow nebbish nobody no one nothing

Rhymes With

milch filch pilch snilch

Questions

How do you pronounce zilch?: The recorded pronunciation is /zɪlt͡ʃ/.
What does zilch mean?: A nobody: a person who is worthless in importance or character.
Where does zilch come from?: It is traced to German.

How to pronounce zilch

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