Home › Glossary › Letter P

Pun

Device
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

A figure of speech that exploits double meanings, homophones, or similar sounds to create humor, ambiguity, or layered significance.

Detailed Definition
A pun is a form of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a word or similar-sounding words for humorous, ironic, or rhetorical effect; Shakespeare frequently used puns (e.g., “grave” as both serious and tomb) to layer meaning and engage audiences on linguistic and thematic levels.
Example
Example in poetry:
Pun: Shakespeare’s "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man" (Romeo and Juliet) uses "grave" to mean both serious and dead—a classic poetic pun.
Additional Notes
Pun: A play on words exploiting multiple meanings or similar sounds; can be humorous, profound, or subversive; central to Shakespearean wit and modern wordplay poetry.
Also Known As
Wordplay Double meaning Paronomasia Play on words Calembour
Skip to main content