Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

a-

/eɪ/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 7.36 in modern English

Syllables
a-
IPA
/eɪ/
1
Scrabble Score
1
Letters
2
Syllables
1
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

Forming verbs with the sense away, up, on, out.

prefix

Forming verbs with the sense of intensified action.

prefix

In, on, at; used to show a state, condition, or manner. Also passing into sense 2.

prefix

In, into. Also passing into sense 5.

prefix

In the direction of, or toward.

prefix

At such a time.

Archaic

prefix

In the act or process of. Used in some dialects before a present participle.

Archaic

prefix

Alternative form of y-. In dialect, it is sometimes conflated with sense 5 of the previous definition, and is used as a general indicator of a participle.

Archaic

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English a- (“up, out, away”), from Old English ā-, originally *ar-, *or-, from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out-”), from Proto-Indo-European *uds- (“up, out”). Cognate with Old Saxon a-, German er-.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: a-, ā-, *uʀ-, *uz-, *uds-, an

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /eɪ/
  • British English: /eɪ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

i- (alternative)

Synonyms

an- dys- i- il- im- in- ir- mal- non- un-

Questions

How do you pronounce a-?
The recorded pronunciation is /eɪ/.
What does a- mean?
Forming verbs with the sense away, up, on, out.
Where does a- come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce a-

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