Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

honolulu

/ˌhoʊ.nəˈluː.luː/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.50 in modern English

Syllables
hon-olu-lu
IPA
/ˌhoʊ.nəˈluː.luː/
11
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A port in Oahu Island; the capital and largest city of Hawaii, United States and the county seat of Honolulu County, Hawaii. Official name: City and County of Honolulu

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *faŋa Hawaiian Hana- Hawaiian Hono- Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *-duŋ Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duŋduŋ Proto-Oceanic *ruru Hawaiian lulu Hawaiian Honolulubor. English Honolulu From Hawaiian Honolulu, from hono (“bay, harbor”, cognate with Māori whanga) + lulu (“shelter”, cognate with Māori ruru). See also toponym Whangaruru in North Island, New Zealand.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌhoʊ.nəˈluː.luː/
  • British English: /ˌhɒn.əˈluː.luː/

Derived Forms

Honoluluan

Phrases

Honolulu County Honolulu Time

Rhymes With

kwazulu lulu cthulhu delulu

Questions

How do you pronounce honolulu?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhoʊ.nəˈluː.luː/.
What does honolulu mean?
A port in Oahu Island; the capital and largest city of Hawaii, United States and the county seat of Honolulu County, Hawaii. Official name: City and County of Honolulu
Where does honolulu come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *faŋa Hawaiian Hana- Hawaiian Hono- Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *-duŋ Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duŋduŋ Proto-Oceanic *ruru Hawaiian lulu Hawaiian Honolulubor. English Honolulu From Hawaiian Honolulu, from hono (“bay, harbor”, cognate with Māori whanga) + lulu (“shelter”, cognate with Māori ruru). See also toponym Whangaruru in North Island, New Zealand.

How to pronounce honolulu

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