Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

blue-pencil

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.92 in modern English

Syllables
blue-pen-cil
IPA
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To edit, especially to censor, written documents.

Transitive verb

verb

To use a line-item veto.

Slang

Etymology

From blue + pencil.

Usage

Inflected Forms

blue-pencils (present, singular) blue-penciling (US, participle) blue-pencilling (UK, participle) blue-penciled (US, participle) blue-penciled (US, past) blue-pencilled (UK, participle) blue-pencilled (UK, past)

Phrases

red-pencil blue pencil doctrine

Frequently Paired Words

red-pencil blue pencil doctrine

Synonyms

edit delete

Questions

What does blue-pencil mean?
To edit, especially to censor, written documents.
Where does blue-pencil come from?
From blue + pencil.

How to pronounce blue-pencil

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