TalkCo
How to pronounce surprise
Say it like this: /sɚˈpɹaɪ̯z/. Listen to real recordings below and compare how it sounds in different accents.
What does surprise mean?
nounSomething unexpected.
“Surprise! - A party! Awesome!”
A mess of feces, left by a pet or small child in an unexpected place or at an unexpected time.
“After the housecleaners drove off, the cat left a surprise for us on the carpet.”
The feeling that something unexpected has happened.
“Imagine my surprise on learning I owed twice as much as I thought I did.”
verbTo cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.
“It surprises me that I owe twice as much as I thought I did.”
To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise.
“He surprised me with flowers on our anniversary.”
To undergo or witness something unexpected.
“He doesn’t surprise easily.”
intjDrawing attention to a surprising action by oneself.
“"Surprise!" we shouted as we jumped out from the cupboard. "Happy birthday!"”
Drawing attention to something that should have been obvious.
“When we add code modules, we will have an additional folder called (surprise!) Modules.”
Practise saying surprise out loud with your AI English tutor, or look up any other word.
Look up more wordsOther words to practise
Pronunciations and meanings from Wiktionary via kaikki.org, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Recordings by Wikimedia Commons contributors. This page is shared under the same license.