Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

might-have-been

/mˈaɪtəvbˌɪn/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.53 in modern English

Syllables: might-have-been
IPA: /mˈaɪtəvbˌɪn/

27

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Someone or something whose potential greatness was not achieved.

Example Sentences

"But no more imposing might-have-been was there in Great Britain than the Glasgow & North Western Railway, which was intended to run from Glasgow to Inverness via Glencoe and the Great Glen."
"One of the might-have-beens of railway history, however, would have altered the appearance of Monsal Dale considerably. The western portion of the Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway (projected in 1891), from Chesterfield to Warrington, was planned to cross the dale and the Midland Line by a viaduct 543 yds. long and 272 ft. above the bed of the River Wye."

Inflected Forms

might-have-beens (plural)

Synonyms

could-have-been

Questions

How do you pronounce might-have-been?: The recorded pronunciation is /mˈaɪtəvbˌɪn/.
What does might-have-been mean?: Someone or something whose potential greatness was not achieved.

How to pronounce might-have-been

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