Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.53 in modern English

Syllables
a chain is on-ly as strong as it-s weakest link
IPA
56
Scrabble Score
36
Letters
3
Syllables
15
Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

An organization is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person; a group of associates is only as competent as its laziest member.

Etymology

First appeared in Thomas Reid’s Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man, published in 1786. The full idiom a chain is no stronger than its weakest link was first printed in Cornhill Magazine in 1868.

Inflected Forms

a chain is as strong as its weakest link (alternative) a chain is no stronger than its weakest link (alternative)

Phrases

weakest link

Frequently Paired Words

weakest link

Questions

What does a chain is only as strong as its weakest link mean?
An organization is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person; a group of associates is only as competent as its laziest member.
Where does a chain is only as strong as its weakest link come from?
First appeared in Thomas Reid’s Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man, published in 1786. The full idiom a chain is no stronger than its weakest link was first printed in Cornhill Magazine in 1868.

How to pronounce a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

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