Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

left-handed

/lɛftˈhændɪd/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.39 in modern English

Syllables: left--hand-ed
IPA: /lɛftˈhændɪd/

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Using one's left hand in preference to, or more skillfully than, one's right.

adj

Intended to be worn on, or used by, the left hand.

adj

Turning or spiraling from right to left; anticlockwise.

adj

Awkward or maladroit.

adj

Insincere or malicious.

adj

Performed with the intention of doing harm or in transgression against convention or taboo; following the left-hand path

adj

Of a coordinate system: not following the right-hand rule.

noun

Left-handed people, taken as a whole.

Example Sentences

"The commendations of this people are not always […]left-handed and detractive."
"On the other hand, nearly all magic tends in time to the left-handed path; as being a devious means of attaining desires unobtainable by ordinary methods."
"Evidence contradicting this principle came from a study of epileptic patients by Penfield and Roberts (1959) who found that dysphasia following surgery on the right hemisphere was not significantly more frequent in the left-handed than in the right-handed."

Etymology

From Middle English left handyd, lyfthonded, equivalent to left + handed.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: left handyd

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /lɛftˈhændɪd/

Inflected Forms

lefthanded (alternative)

Derived Forms

leftie lefty

Phrases

left-handed anti-neutrino left-handed cigarette left-handed compliment left-handedly left-handed marriage left-handed monkey wrench left-handedness left-handed path

Frequently Paired Words

left-hander

Synonyms

sinistromanual sinistral southpaw bumbling bungling butterfingered ham-fisted ham-handed handless heavy-handed

Antonyms

right-handed

Rhymes With

right-handed single-handed red-handed empty-handed branded commanded stranded remanded disbanded banded sanded underhanded

Questions

How do you pronounce left-handed?: The recorded pronunciation is /lɛftˈhændɪd/.
What does left-handed mean?: Using one's left hand in preference to, or more skillfully than, one's right.
Where does left-handed come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce left-handed

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