You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 18.

Today’s word is nuptial, spelled n-u-p-t-i-a-l. The stress mark in this word falls on the first syllable.  Nuptial (noun): MARRIAGE, WEDDING —usually used in plural

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

Their nuptials will take place at the university chapel.

At middle-class nuptials a 500-name guest list is not unusual.

— The Economist, "Why planning weddings in Mexico is hard," 14 Nov. 2019

Interesting Fact:

prenuptial agreement/pre-nup (noun): an official document signed by two people before they get married that says what will happen to their possessions and/or children if they divorce

He asked her to sign a prenuptial agreement when they got engaged.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 17.

Today’s word is voice, spelled v-o-i-c-e. Voice (noun): an opinion or wish that is expressed

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

The government needs to listen to the voice of middle-class Americans.

give voice to something: to express your feelings or thoughts

Participants are encouraged to give voice to their personal hopes, fears and dreams.

We use words to give voice to our thoughts and feelings.

Interesting Fact:

Voice (verb): to tell people your opinions or feelings about a particular subject

Young women are already voicing discontent with their lives.

Many medical experts have voiced concern about using the Russian vaccine.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 16.

Today’s word is split, spelled s-p-l-i-t. Split: “if people split, they end a marriage or relationship with each other.”

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

He split from his wife last year.

split up phrasal verb: if people split up, or if someone splits them up, they end a marriage or relationship with each other

He started drinking heavily after he split up with Debbie.

She split up with her boyfriend last week.

Interesting Fact:

Split up can also mean, “to divide people into different groups, or to be divided into groups.”

Please don’t split up when we get to the museum.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 15.

Today’s word is eye, spelled e-y-e. Eye is a verb that means, “to look at someone or something carefully, especially because you do not trust them or because you want something.”

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

I could see her eyeing my lunch.

The dog sat there eyeing my sandwich as I ate.

The man behind the desk eyed us suspiciously.

Eye of a needle story:

The New Testament quotes Jesus as saying that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

eye somebody ↔ up phrasal verb: to look at someone in a way that shows you think they are sexually attractive

There was a group of guys at the bar, eyeing up every girl who walked in.

That guy in the grey jacket has been eyeing you up all evening.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 14.

Today’s word is hitch, spelled h-i-t-c-h. Hitch is a verb that means, “to fasten something to another thing by tying it with a rope or using a metal hook.”

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

We just need to hitch the trailer to the car and then we can go.

The horses were hitched to a shiny, black carriage.

a goat hitched to a fence

Get hitched: to get married

He's getting hitched to his college sweetheart.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 13.

Today’s word is cram, spelled c-r-a-m. Cram is a verb that means, “to try to learn a lot very quickly before an exam.”

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

She’s cramming for her history exam.

I have to cram for my chemistry test tomorrow.

Here’s the word used in a sentence from The Washington Post:

Cho Min-jun, a high school senior applying to study sociology, says the postponement allowed more time to cram, but also added to the pressure.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 11.

Today’s word is bankable, spelled b-a-n-k-a-b-l-e. The stress mark in this word falls on the first syllable. Bankable is an adjective that means, “likely to be profitable or make a lot of money.”

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

She is currently Hollywood's most bankable actress (= her movies make large profits).

Here’s the word used in a sentence from Billboard by Dave Brooks:

While Pitbull is certainly one of Latin music’s most bankable stars, Billboard learned that 50% of any ad revenue is to be split, minus production costs.

In addition to what I’ve already said, bankable can also mean, “acceptable to or at a bank.” But, these days, nobody really uses it in that sense.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 10.

Today’s word is loan shark, spelled l-o-a-n s-h-a-r-k. Loan shark is a two-word compound and the stress mark falls on the first syllable. Loan shark is a countable noun that means, “someone who lends money at very high rates of interest and will often use threats or violence to get the money back.”

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

Loan sharks target those with bad debt records, because they may have difficulty getting loans from the usual sources.

Here’s the word used in a sentence from Scientific American by Zolelwa Sifumba:

Recently, one of my patients borrowed money from a loan shark just to get a private taxi to the hospital.

Shark, as a noun, can mean, “a dishonest person, especially one who persuades other people to pay too much money for something.” For instance, “People who need a place to live can often find themselves at the mercy of local property sharks.”

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 9.

Today’s word is fritter, spelled f-r-i-t-t-e-r. The stress mark in this word falls on the first syllable. Fitter is a verb that means, “to break into small fragments.” It can also mean, “to waste money, time, or an opportunity.” In this sense, fritter is usually used with away.

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

She fritters so much money away on expensive make-up.

Here’s the word used in a sentence from The Washington Post by Roger Lowenstein:

Unlike Burke, who took extraordinary preventive measures to ensure there weren’t more deaths, Trump frittered away six precious weeks.

Fritter, as a noun, is a very delicious word. It means, “a slice of fruit, vegetable, or meat covered with batter (= a mixture of flour, egg, and milk) and then fried.” Hmm, I don’t know about you, but it sounds yummy to me.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 8.

Today’s word is constraint, spelled c-o-n-s-t-r-a-i-n-t. The stress mark in this word falls on the second syllable. Constraint is a countable noun that means “something that limits your freedom.” It’s a synonym of the word “restriction.”

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

Financial constraints on the company are preventing them from employing new staff.

Here’s the word used in a sentence from The Wall Street Journal by Andrew Beaton:

But in key situations, finding the optimal move can require a level of forethought that is beyond the capacity of most humans working with a time constraint.

The verb form of constraint is constrain, which means “to limit something.” For instance, “Women’s employment opportunities are often severely constrained by family commitments.”

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

Visit our Instagram page @lingophoenix to learn how you can use today’s word in the IELTS speaking test.