orthoepy

1 of 2

noun (1)

or·​tho·​epy ˈȯr-thə-ˌwe-pē How to pronounce orthoepy (audio) ȯr-ˈthō-ə-pē How to pronounce orthoepy (audio)
1
: the customary pronunciation of a language
2
: the study of the pronunciation of a language
orthoepic
ˌȯr-thə-ˈwe-pik How to pronounce orthoepy (audio)
adjective
orthoepically
ˌȯr-thə-ˈwe-pi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce orthoepy (audio)
adverb
orthoepist
ˈȯr-thə-ˌwe-pist How to pronounce orthoepy (audio) ȯr-ˈthō-ə-pist How to pronounce orthoepy (audio)
noun

orthoepist

2 of 2

noun (2)

or·​tho·​epist ˈȯ(r)thəˌwepə̇st How to pronounce orthoepist (audio)
ȯ(r)ˈthōəp-
plural -s
: a person who is skilled in orthoepy
orthoepistic
¦ȯ(r)thəˌwe¦pistik, 
(¦)ȯ(r)¦thōə¦p-
adjective

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

New Latin orthoepia, from Greek orthoepeia, from orth- + epos word — more at voice

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of orthoepy was in 1640

Rhymes for orthoepy

See All Rhymes for orthoepy

Browse Nearby Words

orthoepist
orthoepy
ortho ester
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Orthoepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orthoepy. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tacit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All