What SONAR means
A measuring instrument that sends out an acoustic pulse in water and measures distances in terms of the time for the echo of the pulse to return.
That is the short version. Read on for how to say SONAR, how to use it, and a quick way to make it stick.
SONAR at a glance
- Word: SONAR
- Part of speech: noun
- Pronunciation: /ˈsoʊnɑr/
- Meaning: A measuring instrument that sends out an acoustic pulse in water and measures distances in terms of the time for the echo of the pulse to return.
- Example: Sonar is an acronym for sound navigation ranging.
Keep this box in view while you read the rest of the page. A short summary like this is often enough for a quick lookup, and the sections below are for when you want the meaning to actually stay with you.
How to say SONAR
Pronunciation: /ˈsoʊnɑr/
Part of speech: noun
Say SONAR out loud a few times. Hearing your own voice say a new word is one of the fastest ways to remember both its sound and its meaning. Try saying it slowly first, then at normal speed, then inside a full sentence. If a part of the pronunciation trips you up, slow down on that part alone before putting the whole word back together.
SONAR in a sentence
Sonar is an acronym for sound navigation ranging.
Notice how SONAR fits into that sentence as noun. Try swapping in your own subject and see if the sentence still makes sense. If it does, you have understood the meaning of SONAR, not just memorized it.
Ways to remember SONAR
A new word sticks better when you do something with it, not just read it.
Say it, then use it. Repeat SONAR once, then build one sentence of your own with it today.
Connect it to something you know. Think of a moment from your own week where SONAR could apply, even loosely.
Spell it out. Cover the word, spell SONAR from memory, then check. This catches the letters your eyes skipped over the first time.
Come back tomorrow. A word reviewed a day later is far more likely to stay than one read once and left.
Notice it in the wild. Once you know SONAR, you will start spotting it in things you read. Each time you notice it, the meaning gets a little more solid.
Play a board with SONAR
A definition is easier to keep once you have used the word under a little pressure. Try today's word game, or search for more words like SONAR with the word finder. Missed a word along the way? The vocabulary quiz is a quick way to check what stuck, and missed words come back around for review instead of disappearing.
For teachers and parents
This page works well as a quick reference before a lesson or a homework check. Look up a word, read the definition and example together, then ask the student to build a new sentence with it. A student who can use SONAR correctly in a sentence they made up has learned it. One who can only repeat the definition back has not, yet.
A quick classroom routine: put SONAR on the board, cover the definition, and ask the class to guess the meaning from the example sentence alone. Reveal the real definition after a few guesses. It takes a minute and gets students reasoning about context clues instead of just memorizing.
More words to learn
- Word of the day for a new word every day.
- Vocabulary quiz to test what you remember.
- How to play if you are new to the games on this site.
The letters in SONAR
- Length: 5 letters
- Vowels: 2 (O, A)
- Different letters: 5, all different
- First letter: S, last letter: R
Words built from the same letters
- ARSON: Malicious burning to destroy property.
- BARON: A very wealthy or powerful businessperson.
- ORGAN: A government agency or instrument devoted to the performance of some specific function.
- ROMAN: Of or relating to or derived from Rome (especially ancient Rome).
- SNARE: Something (often something deceptively attractive) that catches you unawares.
- SOLAR: Relating to or derived from the sun or utilizing the energies of the sun.
- SWORN: Bound by or as if by an oath.