Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [rat ey tat]
- /ræt eɪ tæt/
- /ræt ə tæt/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [rat ey tat]
- /ræt eɪ tæt/
Definitions of rat-a-tat word
- noun rat-a-tat a sound of knocking or rapping: a sharp rat-a-tat on the window. 1
- singular noun rat-a-tat You use rat-a-tat to represent a series of sharp, repeated sounds, for example the sound of someone knocking at a door. 0
- noun rat-a-tat a series of sharp, quick rapping sounds 0
Information block about the term
Origin of rat-a-tat
First appearance:
before 1675 One of the 48% oldest English words
First recorded in 1675-85; imitative
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Rat-a-tat
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
rat-a-tat popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 43% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 61% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.