TAK-see-kab
/ˈtæksiˌkæb/
taxicab is pronounced TAK-see-kab (/ˈtæksiˌkæb/). Taxicab refers to a taxi or taxicab service vehicle, used for hire to transport passengers. It is pronounced as a compound word blending taxi and cab, typically used in North American English. The term is common in transportation contexts and formal writing, though in casual conversation you’ll often hear “taxi” or “cab” alone.
Taxicab refers to a taxi or taxicab service vehicle, used for hire to transport passengers. It is pronounced as a compound word blending taxi and cab, typically used in North American English. The term is common in transportation contexts and formal writing, though in casual conversation you’ll often hear “taxi” or “cab” alone.
"I hailed a taxicab from the hotel lobby to the conference center."
"The city’s taxicab fleet operates 24 hours a day."
"She asked the driver if the taxicab could take a different route to avoid traffic."
Pronounce as ta-xi-cab: /ˈtæk.si.kæb/. Primary stress on the first syllable TAX, with a light, quick second syllable and a crisp final “cab.” The mouth starts with a relaxed front vowel for /æ/ and ends with bilabial /b/. Try saying it slowly: /ˈtæk/ + /si/ + /kæb/ and then blend. Imagine saying ‘tack-SEE-kab’ with even syllable weight.
Common errors: misplacing stress (say TAX-i-kab evenly, or stress on the second syllable), reducing /si/ to a weak schwa, or misarticulating the /t/ and /k/ stops as flaps. Correction tips: keep a crisp initial /t/ and a clear /k/ release, ensure /æ/ is a low-front vowel, and pronounce /si/ as a distinct syllable with a light, clear /s/ and a short /i/; finally, end with a full /b/ without voicing into a vowel.
US: strong initial /t/, /æ/ as in “cat,” /si/ as “see” with a short note, final /b/. UK: similar but with less rhoticity influence; vowel qualities slightly tenser, and the /æ/ may be closer to /ɑː/ in some dialects. AU: /ˈtæk.si.kæb/ like US but with a flatter intonation and sometimes clearer, crisper consonants. Overall, the rhythm remains trochaic; main differences lie in vowel quality and intonation rather than core consonant articulation.
Because it contains three closed syllables with two alveolar plosives and a mid-front vowel cluster. The sequence /tæk/ plus /si/ can cause blending or a devoiced /s/ if not careful, and the final /kæb/ requires a clean /k/ release into /æ/ before /b/. The challenge is maintaining even stress and crisp stops in fast speech, without turning it into ‘tax - i - cab’ or “tacks-i-cab.”
The word favors a clean, trochaic rhythm: TAX-i-cab. The stress is firmly on the first syllable; the second syllable /si/ should be light and quick, not a full vowel prolongation, and avoid turning into /ˈtæksɪkæb/ with an extra vowel. The /t/ and /k/ should be clearly released and not softened, preserving three crisp, distinct syllables.
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The term taxicab combines taxi, derived from taximeter (device that measures fare), and cab, from cabriolet (French cabriolet) or cab, referring to a coach or carriage. The earliest taxis used a taximeter to calculate fares, giving rise to the term taxicab for a vehicle equipped with such a device. In American English, taxicab became common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as motorized cabs proliferated. The word taximeter itself traces to Greek taximetrikos from tachýs ‘fast’ and metron ‘measure,’ reflecting the device’s primary function. Over time, taxicab solidified as a formal, almost technical term, especially in regulatory or industry contexts, though everyday speech often shortens it to taxi. First known written usage for “taxicab” appears in the early 1900s as motorized taxicabs spread globally, coexisting with “taximeter cab” and simply “taxi.”
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Words that rhyme with "taxicab"
-ack sounds
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