Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

grew

/ɡɹu/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.69 in modern English

Syllables
grew
IPA
/ɡɹu/
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

simple past of grow

verb

past participle of grow

Colloquial

verb

Alternative form of grue (“shudder with fear”).

name

A surname.

Etymology

From Middle English grew, from Old English grēow (first and third person past tense of grōwan), from West Germanic *greu, from Northwest Germanic *grerō, from Proto-Germanic *gegrō (first and third person past tense of *grōaną), reduplication of *grōaną.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: grew, grēow, *gegrō

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɡɹu/
  • British English: /ɡɹuː/

Usage

Inflected Forms

grews (present, singular) grewing (participle, present) grewed (participle, past) grewed (past) Grews (plural)

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce grew?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɡɹu/.
What does grew mean?
simple past of grow
Where does grew come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce grew

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