Home › Glossary › Letter O

Odd one out

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Odd one out|Idiomatic Phrase|Identifies an individual or item that differs significantly from the rest of a group; highlights uniqueness, incompatibility, or exclusion based on distinct characteristics or behaviors.

Detailed Definition
Odd one out means the person, object, word, or idea that differs from the rest of a group. In poetry, the idiom is useful for themes of exclusion, individuality, pattern, belonging, and difference. It can describe a child in a family, a stranger in a town, a disruptive image in a poem, or a voice that refuses conformity. The phrase may carry comic, tender, or painful force. It also helps readers notice how poetic patterns create meaning by including one deliberate exception.
Example
Example in poetry:
A school poem might call the silent child the odd one out among laughing companions; In a nature poem, a single red leaf is the odd one out in a green hedge; The phrase means the person or thing that does not fit the group; A poet can use it for loneliness, comedy, or uniqueness.
Additional Notes
Odd one out means the person or thing that differs from the surrounding group. In poetry, it can explore exclusion, individuality, stigma, eccentricity, childhood games, or social classification. The phrase is simple but emotionally rich, since being odd may be painful or liberating. Students should ask who defines the group norm and whether difference is a flaw, gift, accident, or resistance to conformity.
Also Known As
Black sheep
Skip to main content