How to pronounce flourish
Say it like FLUR-rish. Flourish has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FLUR).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce flourish. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FLUR
- rish
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Flourish pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FLURSay this part loudest and longest.
- rishKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of flourish
American and British speakers say flourish in essentially the same way: /ˈflɜrɪʃ/ in the US and /ˈflʌrɪʃ/ in the UK.
British respelling: FLUHR-ish.
What does flourish mean?
- grow vigorously“The deer population in this town is thriving”“business is booming”
- make steady progress; be at the high point in one's career or reach a high point in historical significance or importance“The new student is thriving”
- move or swing back and forth“She waved her gun”
- a showy gesture“she entered with a great flourish”
- an ornamental embellishment in writing
- a display of ornamental speech or language
Where does flourish come from?
From Middle English floryschen, from Old French florir (via the arrhizotonic stem floriss-), from Late Latin flōrīre, from Latin flōrēre, from Latin flōrem (“flower”, noun).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with flourish
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of flourish.
Questions about saying flourish
How do you pronounce flourish?
Say FLUR-rish. The American pronunciation is /ˈflɜrɪʃ/. In British English it is /ˈflʌrɪʃ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in flourish?
Flourish has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FLUR). Broken into parts: FLUR · rish.
Do Americans and Brits say flourish the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈflɜrɪʃ/ and the British form is /ˈflʌrɪʃ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.