Pronunciation guide

How to pronounce scissors

SIZ-erz - two syllables; the opening 'sc' is just 's' and the middle 'ss' is a 'z'

US/ˈsɪzɚz/

zɚz

UK/ˈsɪzəz/

zəz

New to IPA symbols? Read the IPA guide.

Common mistake

The first 'c' is silent and the word sounds out as 'SIZ-erz'.

What “scissors” means

A tool used for cutting thin material, consisting of two crossing blades attached at a pivot point in such a way that the blades slide across each other when the handles are closed.

A type of defensive maneuver in dogfighting, involving repeatedly turning one's aircraft towards that of the attacker in order to force them to overshoot.

In a sentence

  • These scissors are sharp enough to cut through cardboard.
  • She trimmed the ribbon with a pair of nail scissors.

Say it out loud a few times, then check yourself.

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Definitions and examples are derived from Wiktionary, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, then edited by QuickPronounce. Pronunciation data draws on CMUdict.