How to pronounce shoe
Say it like SHOO. Shoe is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce shoe. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SHOO
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Shoe pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SHOOSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of shoe
American and British speakers say shoe in essentially the same way: /ʃu/ in the US and /ʃuː/ in the UK.
British respelling: SHOO.
What does shoe mean?
- footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
- (card games) a case from which playing cards are dealt one at a time
- U-shaped plate nailed to underside of horse's hoof
- furnish with shoes“the children were well shoed”
Where does shoe come from?
From Middle English scho, sho, from Old English sċōh (“shoe”), from Proto-West Germanic *skōh, from Proto-Germanic *skōhaz (“shoe”), of unclear etymology; possibly a derivation from *skehaną (“to move quickly”), from Proto-Indo-European *sk
Words that rhyme with shoe
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of shoe.
Words that sound like shoe
Questions about saying shoe
How do you pronounce shoe?
Say SHOO. The American pronunciation is /ʃu/. In British English it is /ʃuː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in shoe?
Shoe is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SHOO.
Do Americans and Brits say shoe the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ʃu/ and the British form is /ʃuː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as shoe?
Shoe sounds the same as shoo in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.