Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Definition: Twang |
TwangNoun1. A sharp vibrating sound (as of a plucked string). 2. Exaggerated nasality in speech (as in some regional dialects). Verb1. Cause to sound with a twang; "He twanged the guitar string". 2. Sound with a twang, as of a bowstring. 3. Twitch or throb with pain. 4. Pluck, as a string of an instrument; "He twanged his bow". 5. Pronounce with a nasal twang. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "twang" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1588. (references) |
Synonym: TwangSynonym: nasal twang (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Pungency | Noun: pungency, piquance, piquancy, poignancy haut-gout, strong taste, twang, race. |
Stammering | Noun: inarticulateness; stammering; Verb: hesitation; Verb: impediment in one's speech; titubancy, traulism; whisper; (faint sound); lisp, drawl, tardiloquence; nasal tone, nasal accent; twang; falsetto; (want of voice); broken voice, broken accents, broken sentences. |
Taste | Verb: taste, savor, smatch, smack, flavor, twang; tickle the palate. (savory); smack the lips. |
Noun: taste, flavor, gust, gusto, savor; gout, relish; sapor, sapidity; twang, smack, smatch; aftertaste, tang. | |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Twang |
| English words defined with "twang": Twanged, Twanging, Twangle, Twank. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "twang": BUTTOCK AND TWANG ♦ DOWN BUTTOCK AND SHAM FILE ♦ Houyhnhnms. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Twang" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses. Frisian (formal, measured, stiff). |
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Music |
|
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | There are such words as joy and sorrow, but they are only the burden of a psalm, sung with a nasal twang, while we believe in the ordinary and mean. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Twang" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 87.04% of the time. "Twang" is used about 54 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 87.04% | 47 | 49,740 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 11.11% | 6 | 143,867 |
| Unclassified Items | 1.85% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 54 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "twang": nasal twang ♦ speak with a twang. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
twang | 36 |
magazine twang | 17 |
black twang | 5 |
rhyme twang | 5 |
magazine rhyme that twang | 5 |
blak twang | 5 |
twang urban | 2 |
big twang | 2 |
boom shock twang twang | 2 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "twang"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | tingull (blast, noise, note, ring, sound), tingëllimë (bell, carillon, chime, clang, clicking, orotundity, ring, ringing, sonority, sound, sounding, tang, tinkle, tinkling, tolling, tone), tingëllim (bell, carillon, chime, clang, clicking, orotundity, ring, ringing, sonority, sound, sounding, tang, tinkle, tinkling, tolling, tone), piskoj telat. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | نقر الوتر, نبض من ألم, قال بخنة, خنة (stew), ألم حاد مفاجئ, أثر ضئيل (sparkle, tincture, whisper), رنين وتر, رنين (chink, clang, jingle, peal, ping, resonance, resonant, ring, ringing, sound, tinkle, tone), رن (chime, chink, clang, peal, ping, plunk, resonate, resound, ring, sound, strike, tinkle, toll). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | говоря носово, остро дрънчене, носов говор (snuffle), носов изговор, дрънча (clank, clatter, clink, jangle, jingle, rattle, tang), дрънкам на инструмент. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | nosová výslovnost, brnknutí. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | nasalitet (nasal twang, nasality), nasal klang (nasal twang). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | صدای تودماغی , صدای سیم ساز, صدای زه , صدای دنگ دنگ ایجادکردن . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | helkytys, helkytellä, helkkyä (ring, sound), helähdyttää (ring, sound). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | ton nasillard, tinter, vibrer, son de corde pincée, pincer les cordes, nasillement, accent. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | zupfen (pick, pluck, plunk, pull, rip, snick, stretch, tear, twitch, twitching), vibrierton, vibrieren (fluctuate, flutter, oscillate, pulsate, quiver, to oscillate, tremble, vary, vibrate, vibration), näseln (speak through smb.'s nose), klimpern (chink, clink, jangle, jingle, strum, thrum, tinkle, to chink, to jingle, to strum). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | έρρινοσ ήχοσ, έρρινοσ τόνοσ, γρατζουνίζω, τρομώδησ ήχοσ (tremolo), οξύσ (acid, acute, crucial, cuspidal, cuspidate, cuspidated, keen, pang, penetrating, piercing, piked, piping, pointed, pungent, screechy, sharp, shrill, smart, trenchant), ομιλώ ερρινώσ. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | א פוף (grunting, nasality), צליל של מיתר, צליל ח". (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | pengés (ringing). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | vibrazione (chatter, flicker, flutter, jar, throb, vibration), vibrare (brandish, chatter, flicker, hurl, jar, oscillate, quaver, thrill, throb, vibrate), suono vibrante, suono acuto (tang), dare un suono metallico, accento nasale. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | stronnaght (nasality, twang intonation), plang (twang of bow), loayrt dy stronnag (twang of person), jannoo plang (twang of bow), bwoalley plang ass (twang of bow). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | angtway tocar mal (strum, thrum), vibrar (brandish, flap, fling, oscillate, peal, pendulate, pulsate, pulse, ring, shimmy, swing, thrill, throb, vibrate, wave), fazer ressoar, falar com tom nasal, arranhar (clapperclaw, claw, dodder, gall, graze, rase, raze, scrabble, scrape, scratch, splutter, sputter, strum, thrum). (various references) zbârnâit (buzzing, drone, tingle, whirring), zbârnâi (buzz, drone, hum, tingle, whirr, whiz), vorbire pe nas, vorbi pe nas (nasalize, speak through one's nose), sunet produs de o coardã, nazaliza (nasalize), fonfãi (snuffle), face sã vibreze (vibrate), fârnâi (snuffle), din-dang (ding-dong), ciupi (filch, goose, nip, pick, pinch, pit, pluck, tweak). (various references) резкий звенящий голос, гнусавить. (various references) zvučati kao žice, zvonak zvuk, unjkati (nasalize), unjkanje (nasalization), oštar (acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, argute, austere, biting, brisk, brusque, cutting, keen, piercing, racy, scathing, sharp, sharp cut, strident, strong, trenchant). (various references) timbre (bell, ding, quality, ring, timbre), tañido, sonido (beat, peal, sound, sounding), puntear (Dot, fleck, flecker, pick, plonk, pluck, stipple), punteado (dotted, Dotty, stipple), producir un sonido agudo, hablar con timbre nasal, gangueo (snuffle), estirar (crane, draw, draw out, extend, iron lightly, move out, overstretch, prick up, pull out, run the iron over, smooth back, spin out, strain, stretch, tauten, tense, tighten, tighten up, undress, wrench). (various references) knäppa (buckle, button, click, do up, fasten, fillip, flick, flip, knock off, plug, pot, snap, thrum, zap), klang (clang, resonance, ring, sound, tone), dallra (quiver, shiver, tremble, vibrate). (various references) สำเนียงขึ้นจมูก (nasal twang). (various references) tel sesi, tıngırtı (clink, clinking, jangle, rattle, strum, tang, tinkling), tıngırdamak (clang, clink, jangle, rattle, ting, tinkle), genzinden söylemek, genizden çıkmak, genizden çıkan ses, çalmak (abstract, adopt, bag, beat, beat out, blow, chime, cop, crib, defalcate, filch, finger, grind, grind out, heist, hijack, hoist, hook, hoot, incline, jangle, jingle, knelt, knock, knock off, lift, make off with, mooch, nobble, peal, pilfer, pinch, play, plunder, rap, render, ring, rustle, scrounge, sneak, snitch, sound, steal, strike, swipe, tend, thieve, toll, verge, verge into, verge on, walk away with, walk off with, whip). (various references) різкий звук (jangle, jar, phit, scream, skirl, snap), звучати (blow, chime, clink, resound, sound, tune), бренькати (strum). (various references) sự nói giọng mũi. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | increpa, increpabant, increpabat, increpabit, increpabo, increpandum, increpans, increpantibus, increpare, increparet, increpasti, increpat, increpaveris, increpaverunt, increpavit, increpem, increpet, increpueris, increpuerit, increpui, increpuisti, increpuit, increscat. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "twang": twanged, twanger, twangers, twangier, twangiest, twanging, twangle, twangled, twangler, twanglers, twangles, twangling, twangs, twangy. (additional references) | |
| |
"Twang" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Chwang, Dwangwa, taang, tangt, tawn, tawne, thang, Tiwag, trang, Tsanga, twag, twan, twane, twangy, twant, twean, twen, tweng, twing, twingy, twngo, twun. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-g-n-t-w" | |
-1 letter: gnat, gnaw, tang, want. | |
-2 letters: ant, awn, gan, gat, nag, naw, tag, tan, taw, twa, wag, wan, wat. | |
-3 letters: ag, an, at, aw, na, ta. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-g-n-t-w" | |
+1 letter: tawing, twangs, twangy. | |
+2 letters: batwing, dawting, outgnaw, ringtaw, tawsing, thawing, twanged, twanger, twangle, wafting, waiting, wantage, wanting, wasting. | |
+3 letters: awaiting, outgnawn, outgnaws, ringtaws, strawing, swathing, swatting, sweating, thrawing, trawling, twangers, twangier, twanging, twangled, twangler, twangles, tweaking, waisting, waitings, waltzing, wantages, watching, watering, wattling, wrathing. | |
+4 letters: downstage, newsagent, nighthawk, nightwear, outgnawed, outlawing, tallowing, thwacking, thwarting, twaddling, twangiest, twanglers, twangling, twattling, upwafting, wagonette, waistings, wantoning, warstling, waterings, wauchting, waughting, wrastling, wreathing. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Quotations: Fiction 6. Usage Frequency 7. Expressions 8. Expressions: Internet | 9. Translations: Modern 10. Translations: Ancient 11. Derivations 12. Anagrams | 13. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.