How to pronounce lousy
Say it like LOW-zee. Lousy has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LOW).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce lousy. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LOW
- zee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Lousy pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LOWSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
- zeeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of lousy
American and British speakers say lousy in essentially the same way: /ˈlaʊzi/ in the US and /ˈlaʊzi/ in the UK.
British respelling: LOW-zee.
What does lousy mean?
- Insufficient and less than expected of a good thing.“I worked here all summer and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.”
- Remarkably bad; of poor quality.“No offense, but his cooking is lousy.”
- Dirty or untidy.“I cleaned the lousy garage.”
Where does lousy come from?
From Middle English lousy, lowsy, lousi, equivalent to louse + -y.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with lousy
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of lousy.
Questions about saying lousy
How do you pronounce lousy?
Say LOW-zee. The American pronunciation is /ˈlaʊzi/. In British English it is /ˈlaʊzi/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in lousy?
Lousy has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LOW). Broken into parts: LOW · zee.
Do Americans and Brits say lousy the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈlaʊzi/ and the British form is /ˈlaʊzi/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.