Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

aye-aye

/ˈaɪˌaɪ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.59 in modern English

Syllables
aye-aye
IPA
/ˈaɪˌaɪ/
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

Example Sentences

Etymology

From French aye-aye, from Malagasy aiay (also ahay, haihay or hay-hay in dialect), supposedly imitative of the animal's cry. However, this is doubted by Simons and Myers (2001) who note that the animal does not emit such a sound. They suggest a derivation from Malagasy heh heh (“I don't know”), used by the Malagasy people to avoid naming the animal, which they fear.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: aye-aye, aiay

Inflected Forms

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce aye-aye?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈaɪˌaɪ/.
What does aye-aye mean?
The lemur Daubentonia madagascariensis, a solitary nocturnal quadruped found in Madagascar and remarkable for their long fingers, sharp nails, and rodent-like incisor teeth.
Where does aye-aye come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce aye-aye

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