Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hobo

/ˈhoʊ.boʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.08 in modern English

Syllables
hobo
IPA
/ˈhoʊ.boʊ/
9
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A wandering homeless person, especially (historical) one illegally travelling by rail or (derogatory) a penniless, unemployed bum.

Canadian usage; American usage

noun

Any migratory laborer, whether homeless or not.

Canadian usage; American usage

noun

A kind of large handbag.

verb

To be a hobo, tramp, bum etc.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Unknown. Possibly a contraction of ho, boy or the dialectal English term hawbuck (“lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin”).

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhoʊ.boʊ/
  • British English: /ˈhəʊ.bəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

hobos (plural) hoboes (plural) hobos (present, singular) hoboing (participle, present) hoboed (participle, past) hoboed (past)

Derived Forms

hobodom hoboglyph hobohemia hobohemian hoboish hoboism hobolike hobosexual murderhobo

Phrases

hobo bag hobo egg hobo jungle hobo nickel hobo spider hobo stew hobo stove laptop hobo

Synonyms

migrant worker tramp bum

Rhymes With

robo bobo lobo oboe cobo gobo

Questions

How do you pronounce hobo?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhoʊ.boʊ/.
What does hobo mean?
A wandering homeless person, especially (historical) one illegally travelling by rail or (derogatory) a penniless, unemployed bum.
Where does hobo come from?
Unknown. Possibly a contraction of ho, boy or the dialectal English term hawbuck (“lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin”).

How to pronounce hobo

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