Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gooseberry

/ˈɡusˌbɛɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.53 in modern English

Syllables: goose-ber-ry
IPA: /ˈɡusˌbɛɹi/

16

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A fruit of species Ribes uva-crispa, related to the currant.

noun

Any other plant or fruit in the subgenus Grossularia, distinguished from currants by bearing spines, including Ribes hirtellum (American gooseberry).

noun

Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:

noun

Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:

noun

Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:

noun

Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:

noun

Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:

noun

Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:

Example Sentences

"We had a good haul of gooseberries from our bushes this year."
"Robert and Susan were so in love with each other that nobody could go near them without feeling like a gooseberry."
""But," said Philippa dolefully, "if I go I'll have to be gooseberry, and that will be a new experience for Philippa Gordon.""
"Kryten, you are a total gooseberry. Next time I play on the AR machine I'm going to give you some money and send you to the pictures."

Etymology

From goose + berry. It is possible that the first element was originally something related to the gros- of French groseille and/or the kruis- of Dutch kruisbes but has been altered by folk etymology.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɡusˌbɛɹi/
British English: /ˈɡʊzb(ə)ɹi/

Usage

Dated
Slang
British usage

Inflected Forms

gooseberries (plural)

Derived Forms

gooseberrying gooseberryish gooseberrylike

Phrases

Cape gooseberry Chinese gooseberry Coromandel gooseberry do gooseberry gooseberry dieback gooseberry eye gooseberry-eyed gooseberry garnet

Synonyms

goosegog third wheel fifth wheel alcatote asshat arsehole asshole bayard berk birdbrain blither bobchin

Questions

How do you pronounce gooseberry?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡusˌbɛɹi/.
What does gooseberry mean?: A fruit of species Ribes uva-crispa, related to the currant.
Where does gooseberry come from?: From goose + berry. It is possible that the first element was originally something related to the gros- of French groseille and/or the kruis- of Dutch kruisbes but has been altered by folk etymology.

How to pronounce gooseberry

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