Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

a little bird told me

/ə ˌlɪt(ə)l bɜɹd ˈtoʊld mi/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.55 in modern English

Syllables: a lit-tle bird told me
IPA: /ə ˌlɪt(ə)l bɜɹd ˈtoʊld mi/

23

Scrabble Score

17

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

phrase

I received the information from a source which I am not prepared to disclose.

Humorous

Example Sentences

"Let’s just say I know because a little bird told me."
"[…] I did lately heere, / How fleck and his make use their secret haunting, / By one byrd, that in myne eare was late chaunting."
"I vvil lay ods, that ere this yeere expire, / VVe beare our ciuil ſvvords and natiue fier, / As farre as France, I heard a bird ſo ſing,[…]"
"VVell, vvell; I had a little bird told me all this—"
"'Yes,' replies she, 'and what do you care about them?' / 'It's very much I care,' replied I, 'for a little bird has whispered a secret to me.'"
"‘Is Harry Fortescue in love with Florry Carlton?’ asked Lady Charity. ‘A little bird told me he was as good as engaged to her.’"

Etymology

The etymology is unknown; in English sources, references to birds passing along information to people date back to at least the 16th century (see the 1546 quotation), and in other languages even earlier. For example, Ecclesiastes 10:20 in the Bible, the original Hebrew version of which is dated to 450–180 B.C.E., states according to the King James Version (spelling modernized): “Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.”

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ə ˌlɪt(ə)l bɜɹd ˈtoʊld mi/
British English: /ə ˌlɪtl̩ bɜːd ˈtəʊld miː/

Usage

Humorous

Inflected Forms

a little birdie told me (alternative)

Phrases

hear through the grapevine

Frequently Paired Words

hear through the grapevine

Synonyms

rumour has it word has it

Questions

How do you pronounce a little bird told me?: The recorded pronunciation is /ə ˌlɪt(ə)l bɜɹd ˈtoʊld mi/.
What does a little bird told me mean?: I received the information from a source which I am not prepared to disclose.
Where does a little bird told me come from?: The etymology is unknown; in English sources, references to birds passing along information to people date back to at least the 16th century (see the 1546 quotation), and in other languages even earlier. For example, Ecclesiastes 10:20 in the Bible, the original Hebrew version of which is dated to 450–180 B.C.E., states according to the King James Version (spelling modernized): “Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.”

How to pronounce a little bird told me

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