How to pronounce “underscore”
Say “underscore” in 3 beats
underscore
/ˌʌndɚˈskɔɹ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ʌndəskɔː/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ʌnʌn
- dɚdɚ
- skɔɹskɔɹstress
- IPA (American)
- /ˌʌndɚˈskɔɹ/
- IPA (British)
- /ʌndəskɔː/
- Respelling
- un-duh-SKAWR
- Syllables
- 3 — ʌn-dɚ-SKƆɹ
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: ʌn-dɚ-SKƆɹ. “skɔɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/ˌʌndɚˈskɔɹ/
/ʌndəskɔː/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “underscore” means
- noun
a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
- verb
give extra weight to (a communication)
“Her gesture emphasized her words”
- verb
draw a line or lines underneath to call attention to
Say it in a sentence
“Draw an underscore beneath the heading in red ink.”“underscore”, answered
How do you pronounce “underscore”?
“underscore” is pronounced /ˌʌndɚˈskɔɹ/ (un-duh-SKAWR) in American English and /ʌndəskɔː/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “skɔɹ”. Build it as ʌn-dɚ-SKƆɹ, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “underscore” have?
3: ʌn · dɚ · skɔɹ. The beat lands on the third, “skɔɹ”.
Is “underscore” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌʌndɚˈskɔɹ/ (un-duh-SKAWR); British English says /ʌndəskɔː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “underscore” mean?
As a noun: a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter) For example: “Draw an underscore beneath the heading in red ink.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “underscore”?
Stress the third syllable: ʌn-dɚ-SKƆɹ. “skɔɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “underscore” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.