Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gobo

/ˈɡoʊˌboʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.86 in modern English

Syllables: go-bo
IPA: /ˈɡoʊˌboʊ/

7

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A screen (often in disc form) placed between a light and an illuminated actor or object in order to diffuse the glare.

noun

A device used to shield a microphone from extraneous sounds.

noun

A template inserted over a light source to control the shape of the thrown light.

noun

The taproot of young edible burdock plants (Arctium lappa), eaten as a root vegetable.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"At the other extreme, with limitless budgets all they have to do is dream up amazing lighting rigs to be constructed and operated by the huge team of gaffers and sparks, with their generators, discharge lights, flags, gobos and brutes."
"While oriental and specialty markets sell Gobo root to Japanese cooks, herbal medicine enthusiasts use common burdock."

Etymology

Uncertain; possibly from go-b(etween) (“intermediary, middleman”) + -o (suffix forming informal terms).

Origin

Source language: Japanese

Word Breakdown

Root: ごぼう, 牛蒡
Suffix: go-between

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɡoʊˌboʊ/
British English: /ˈɡəʊbəʊ/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

gobos (plural) goboes (plural)

Rhymes With

robo hobo lobo oboe

Questions

How do you pronounce gobo?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡoʊˌboʊ/.
What does gobo mean?: A screen (often in disc form) placed between a light and an illuminated actor or object in order to diffuse the glare.
Where does gobo come from?: It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce gobo

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