Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

niger-congo

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.27 in modern English

Syllables
niger--con-go
IPA
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A speaker of any Niger-Congo language, or a member of a Niger-Congo culture by ancestry or other affinity.

adj

Belonging to the Niger-Congo language family, or pertaining to its associated peoples.

Etymology

Coined in the 1950s by Joseph Greenberg, from the name of the two principal rivers in the area in which this language family is spoken, the Niger River and the Congo River.

Inflected Forms

Synonyms

Questions

What does niger-congo mean?
A major language family of sub-Saharan Africa noted for the use of a noun class system.
Where does niger-congo come from?
Coined in the 1950s by Joseph Greenberg, from the name of the two principal rivers in the area in which this language family is spoken, the Niger River and the Congo River.

How to pronounce niger-congo

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “niger-congo”.
  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 “niger-congo”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “niger-congo” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.