Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

underclass

/ˈʌndɚklˌæs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.62 in modern English

Syllables: un-der-class
IPA: /ˈʌndɚklˌæs/

13

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The poorest class of people in a given society.

Example Sentences

"The two are immediately caught up in a terrorist plot to rid the earth of its underclass, and this gives Nobby the chance to live out a James Bond fantasy of Englishness, with his own lager-swilling twist."
"Still, among New York’s creative underclass — cash poor but culturally potent — it feels like everything but socialism is now irrelevant."
"While there are reasons to be optimistic about this trend, there is also something queasy about the emergence of a new underclass of urban servants."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *-tér Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér Proto-Indo-European *h₂én Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *-dʰi ? Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- English class English underclass From under- + class.

Inflected Forms

underclasses (plural)

Derived Forms

underclasser underclassness underclassperson underclasswoman

Phrases

permanent underclass

Frequently Paired Words

subculture

Synonyms

lower class

Questions

How do you pronounce underclass?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʌndɚklˌæs/.
What does underclass mean?: The poorest class of people in a given society.
Where does underclass come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *-tér Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér Proto-Indo-European *h₂én Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *-dʰi ? Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- English class English underclass From under- + class.

How to pronounce underclass

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