Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hoax

/hoʊks/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.53 in modern English

Syllables: hoax
IPA: /hoʊks/

14

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To deceive (someone) by making them believe something that has been maliciously or mischievously fabricated.

Transitive verb

noun

Anything deliberately intended to deceive or trick.

Example Sentences

"The phone call to the police about a tiger in a tree turned out to be a hoax."
"The news story about the pop singer coming to town, unfortunately for his fans, turned out to be a hoax."

Etymology

Reportedly a form of hocus. Possibly from hocus-pocus or Latin iocus (“joke”). Compare hokey.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: iocus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /hoʊks/
British English: /həʊks/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

hoaxes (present, singular) hoaxing (participle, present) hoaxed (participle, past) hoaxed (past) hoaxes (plural)

Derived Forms

hoaxable hoaxee hoaxer hoaxster unhoax coronahoax hoaxical hoaxlike Hoaxocaust hoaxter Holohoax

Phrases

climate hoax global hoax

Synonyms

canard fraud fraudulence dupery humbug put-on pull someone's leg play a joke on

Homonyms

hokes

Rhymes With

folks jokes strokes oaks stokes smokes evokes blokes coax pokes chokes spokes

Questions

How do you pronounce hoax?: The recorded pronunciation is /hoʊks/.
What does hoax mean?: To deceive (someone) by making them believe something that has been maliciously or mischievously fabricated.
Where does hoax come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce hoax

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