Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

backstreet

/bˈækstˌit/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.76 in modern English

Syllables: back-street
IPA: /bˈækstˌit/

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Associated with neighborhoods on back streets, often in older neighborhoods, with poorer residents.

adj

Done in poor and unsanitary conditions, secretly and illegally; back-alley.

noun

Alternative spelling of back street.

Example Sentences

"The agency was given to some deserving politician who, as he knew nothing at all about Indians and spoke no language except traces of back-street American, would not be prejudiced in Indian affairs and interfere with the highly informed traders."
"She's been living in her uptown world / I bet she's never had a backstreet guy / I bet her momma never told her why"
"They made these things for almost nothing, cutting them out of remnants they scrambled for in backstreet fabric outlets."
"The results of self-induced and backstreet abortions come to our hospitals for the damage to be put right."

Etymology

From back + street.

Inflected Forms

more backstreet (comparative) most backstreet (superlative) back-street (alternative) backstreets (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce backstreet?: The recorded pronunciation is /bˈækstˌit/.
What does backstreet mean?: Associated with neighborhoods on back streets, often in older neighborhoods, with poorer residents.
Where does backstreet come from?: From back + street.

How to pronounce backstreet

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