How to pronounce skeleton
American English pronunciation
SKEL-uh-tun
- IPA
- /ˈskɛlətən/
- Syllables
- SKEL · uh · tun (3 syllables, stress on the 1st)
Love words? Try a free round: no sign-up, about two minutes. Play free
What skeleton means
Most people know skeleton in its everyday sense. Here's its other meaning.
A sled race ridden head first, lying face down
In a sentence: In the skeleton, she raced down the icy track headfirst on a tiny sled.
Where it comes from: No one is sure where the name came from. It may be named for the first sleds, which were bare frames like a skeleton, or it may be a mixed-up form of a word for an ice sled.
Can you spot the real meaning? Try one
Loading a word…
Can you spot the real meaning? Play Wordfib
One free round, no sign-up. Wordfib shows a word and four meanings: one real, three fibs.