How to pronounce mealworm
Say it like MEEL-wurm. Mealworm has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (MEEL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce mealworm. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- MEEL
- wurm
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Mealworm pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- MEELSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
- wurmGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ur" in nurse.
American vs British pronunciation of mealworm
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: MEEL-wurm.
What does mealworm mean?
- The larval stage of the mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor), a species of darkling beetle.“We buy mealworms to supplement our chickens' feed ration, and they do some scratching in the yard to find other bugs too.”
- This or any other larva that looks similar and is found in similar circumstances (i.e., in meal, in flour, in food, in the pantry, in feed, in the feedroom), such as the larva of a mealmoth (flour moth).“They'd seen a few mealmoths and mealworms in recent days, and then they figured out that the cornflakes in the pantry were the source of the problem.”
Where does mealworm come from?
From meal + worm.
Questions about saying mealworm
How do you pronounce mealworm?
Say MEEL-wurm. The American pronunciation is /ˈmilˌwɝm/. In British English it is /ˈmiːlˌwɜːm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in mealworm?
Mealworm has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (MEEL). Broken into parts: MEEL · wurm.
Is mealworm pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /ˈmiːlˌwɜːm/ (MEEL-wurm).