How to pronounce loafer
Say it like LOH-fer. Loafer has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LOH).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce loafer. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LOH
- fer
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Loafer pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LOHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
- ferKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "er" in butter.
American vs British pronunciation of loafer
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: LOH-fuh.
What does loafer mean?
- An idle person.
- A shoe with no laces, resembling a moccasin.
- A particular orthogonal spaceship in Conway's Game of Life that moves at a speed of c/7, and the smallest such example.
Where does loafer come from?
Perhaps short for landloafer, possibly a partial translation of German Landläufer (compare dialectal German loofen (“to run”), and English landlouper); or more likely connected to Middle English love, loove, loffinge, looffinge (“a remnant,
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with loafer
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of loafer.
Questions about saying loafer
How do you pronounce loafer?
Say LOH-fer. The American pronunciation is /ˈloʊfɚ/. In British English it is /ˈləʊfə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in loafer?
Loafer has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LOH). Broken into parts: LOH · fer.
Is loafer 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 /ˈləʊfə/ (LOH-fuh).