yahoo!

Questions

How do you pronounce yahoo!?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈjɑːhuː/.

What does yahoo! mean?

A web portal and search engine located at yahoo.com.

Where does yahoo! come from?

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the name itself is an acronym for “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle”, incorporated in 1995. However, other sources claim the main inspiration by founders Jerry Yang and David Filo originates from Yahoo, the race of barbaric beings from the Jonathan Swift novel Gulliver's Travels (perhaps with a semantic notion of strongly exploring the then-"wild" late 90s Internet), thence the acronym apparently being a backronym. Also compare Etymology 2 of yahoo; the exclamation point was supposedly added to "strengthen" the trademark.

How to pronounce yahoo!

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “yahoo!”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈjɑːhuː/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “yahoo!”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “yahoo!” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.