English pronunciation · Words Starting with C

Cheshire Cat Pronunciation

Cheshire Cat is pronounced CHE-sher-KAT, IPA /ˈtʃɛʃɝ ˈkæt/.

CHE-sher-KAT

US /ˈtʃɛʃɝ ˈkæt/

Syllables: CHE · sher · KAT (3 syllables, stress on syllable 1)

noun (phrase): The grinning cat in Alice in Wonderland, used as a byword for a broad fixed smile.

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Cheshire Cat in a Sentence

  • He sat there grinning like a Cheshire cat.
  • The Cheshire cat appears and vanishes at will.
  • She had the smile of a Cheshire cat all afternoon.

Common Mispronunciations of Cheshire Cat

Not CHE-shyr-KAT

The shire ending of an English county name is a weak sher or shuh, never the word shire on its own.

Not che-SHEER-kat

The first syllable is the loud one, and the middle shrinks to almost nothing: CHE-sher-KAT.

Tip: The same weak ending turns up in Yorkshire, Hampshire, and Lancashire.

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