Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

shortfall

/ʃˈɔɹtfˌɔl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.02 in modern English

Syllables: short-fall
IPA: /ʃˈɔɹtfˌɔl/

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An instance of falling short, of not meeting a quota, an obligation, or more generally any expected target.

noun

The amount by which such a quota, obligation, etc., was missed.

Example Sentences

"Due to a shortfall in revenue, we will have to make some cuts."

Etymology

Deverbal from fall short. By surface analysis, short + fall.

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Finance.

Inflected Forms

shortfalls (plural) short-fall (alternative)

Phrases

closure shortfall force shortfall implementation shortfall shortfall constraint shortfall risk

Synonyms

deficit shortage

Questions

How do you pronounce shortfall?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʃˈɔɹtfˌɔl/.
What does shortfall mean?: An instance of falling short, of not meeting a quota, an obligation, or more generally any expected target.
Where does shortfall come from?: Deverbal from fall short. By surface analysis, short + fall.

How to pronounce shortfall

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