How to pronounce horseshoe
Say it like HORS-shoo. Horseshoe has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (HORS).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce horseshoe. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HORS
- shoo
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Horseshoe pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HORSSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
- shooGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of horseshoe
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: HAWS-shoo.
What does horseshoe mean?
- The U-shaped shoe of a horse, now typically made of metal; by extension, a representation of this used to play the game horseshoes, hung as a luck charm, etc.
- The U shape of a horseshoe.“the horseshoe of the Carpathians”
- A well-developed set of triceps brachii muscles.
- To apply horseshoes to (a horse).
Where does horseshoe come from?
Inherited from Middle English horsscho, from hors + scho.
Questions about saying horseshoe
How do you pronounce horseshoe?
Say HORS-shoo. The American pronunciation is /ˈhɔrsˌʃu/. In British English it is /ˈhɔːsʃuː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in horseshoe?
Horseshoe has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (HORS). Broken into parts: HORS · shoo.
Is horseshoe pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /ˈhɔːsʃuː/ (HAWS-shoo).