English pronunciation · Words Starting with M
Modus Operandi Pronunciation
Modus Operandi is pronounced MOH-duhs-ah-per-AN-dy, IPA /ˈmoʊdəs ˌɑpɝˈændaɪ/.
MOH-duhs-ah-per-AN-dy
US /ˈmoʊdəs ˌɑpɝˈændaɪ/
Syllables: MOH · duhs · ah · per · AN · dy (6 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
phrase (noun): The particular way someone goes about doing something, used especially of a criminal's habits.
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Modus Operandi in a Sentence
- Getting in through a skylight was his modus operandi.
- Every crew has its own modus operandi for busy weekends.
- Police linked the two burglaries by their modus operandi.
Common Mispronunciations of Modus Operandi
Not MOH-duhs-oh-puh-RAN-dee
A Latin i at the end of a word turns into the word eye in English, the way it does in alumni and cacti, so the phrase closes on dy. The dee ending is widely heard as well.
Not MAH-duhs-ah-per-AN-dy
That first o is the long oh of mode, which is the very word modus gave us.
Not MOH-duhs-OP-er-and-ee
Six beats, with the strong ones on MOH and AN. Operandi has no weight of its own until that fifth beat.
Tip: Lawyers and police often shorten it to MO, said as the two letters.
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