Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rooibos

/ˈɹɔɪˌbɔs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.89 in modern English

Syllables
rooi-bos
IPA
/ˈɹɔɪˌbɔs/
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A shrub (Aspalathus linearis) from which a tisane (herbal tea) is made.

Uncountable

noun

The tisane (herbal tea) made from this plant.

Uncountable

noun

Various shrubs of the genus Combretum.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Afrikaans rooibos (literally “redbush”), from Dutch rooi (“red”) + bos (“bush”). Compare related honeybush via Afrikaans heuningbos from heuning (“honey”) + bos (“bush”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɹɔɪˌbɔs/
  • British English: /ˈɹɔɪ.bɒs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce rooibos?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹɔɪˌbɔs/.
What does rooibos mean?
A shrub (Aspalathus linearis) from which a tisane (herbal tea) is made.
Where does rooibos come from?
It is traced to Dutch.

How to pronounce rooibos

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