Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bao toh

[ˌp˭aʊ˨ ˈt˭o˦]

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.48 in modern English

Syllables: bao -toh
IPA: [ˌp˭aʊ˨ ˈt˭o˦]

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To inform on someone behind his or her back.

Informal

Example Sentences

"Eh butok lah! Which bastard paotoh to teacher that I carry handphone to school? Now kena confiscate!"
"I saw Gary looking at his textbook during the test. Wanna bao toh him?"
"Don't pao toh (snitch on) me hor!"
"Hey! Don’t bao toh me leh!"

Etymology

From Hokkien 包刀 (pau to, literally “wrapped knife”), referring to backstabbing.

Word Breakdown

Root: 包刀

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

pao toh (alternative)

Questions

How do you pronounce bao toh?: The recorded pronunciation is [ˌp˭aʊ˨ ˈt˭o˦].
What does bao toh mean?: To inform on someone behind his or her back.
Where does bao toh come from?: From Hokkien 包刀 (pau to, literally “wrapped knife”), referring to backstabbing.

How to pronounce bao toh

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bao toh”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling ([ˌp˭aʊ˨ ˈt˭o˦]) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bao toh”.
Repeat and practice — Say “bao toh” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.