How to Pronounce Ornithophobia
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Ornithophobia Pronunciation
or-nith-oh-FOH-bee-ah
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
or
nith
oh
FOH
stress here
bee
ah
6 syllables
What is Ornithophobia?
A fear of birds, whether specific species or birds in general. The flapping of wings, pecking, or sudden movement of birds can trigger intense anxiety or panic.
Questions About Ornithophobia
How do you pronounce ornithophobia?
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Say it like this: or-NITH-oh-FOH-bee-ah. The stress lands on the second syllable, "NITH." It helps to break it into chunks: first say "or-NITH" (rhymes with "or-pith"), then "oh-FOH-bee-ah" (like "foe-bee-uh").
What's the most common mistake people make when pronouncing ornithophobia?
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Many people stress the wrong syllable and say or-ni-THOF-oh-bee-ah instead of or-NITH-oh-FOH-bee-ah. Remember: the emphasis goes on "NITH," not on "thof."
How many syllables does ornithophobia have?
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Ornithophobia has 5 syllables: or-NITH-oh-FOH-bee-ah. Counting them out slowly helps you get the rhythm right and remember where the stress falls.
What do the word parts of ornithophobia mean?
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Ornithophobia comes from two Greek roots: "ornitho-" means bird, and "-phobia" means an intense fear of something. Put them together, and the word literally means "fear of birds."
What is ornithophobia in plain, everyday language?
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Ornithophobia is simply a strong fear of birds. Instead of saying the medical term, you could just say someone is "afraid of birds" or "has a bird phobia."
Are there other medical words that use the root 'ornitho-'?
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Yes! Ornithine is an amino acid, and ornithology is the study of birds. These words all start with "ornitho-" because it's the Greek word for bird.
Are there other words that use the '-phobia' root?
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Absolutely! Many fear-related words end in "-phobia," like arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and acrophobia (fear of heights). Whenever you see "-phobia," you know the word is about an intense fear of something.
How would you use ornithophobia in a simple sentence?
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You might say: "Her ornithophobia makes it difficult for her to enjoy outdoor picnics." This sentence tells us the medical term is being used to describe a specific fear that affects someone's everyday activities.