Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fall short

/fɔl ʃoɹt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.92 in modern English

Syllables: fal-l short
IPA: /fɔl ʃoɹt/

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be less satisfactory than expected; to be inadequate or insufficient.

Example Sentences

"I did my best, but fell far short of the score cutoff."
"Ample proof that the maintenance of locomotives and track in the mid-Victorian era sometimes fell far short of present-day standards is afforded by an accident which occurred on July 3, 1866, near Royston, on the Cambridge branch of the Great Northern Railway."
"They have fallen short on so many occasions that an England team who rises to the occasion are worthy of the highest praise."
"But if being is not a whole through being affected by that affection, and there is such a thing as the whole itself, it follows that being falls short of itself."

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /fɔl ʃoɹt/

Inflected Forms

falls short (present, singular) falling short (participle, present) fell short (past) fallen short (participle, past)

Derived Forms

shortfall

Phrases

come up short

Frequently Paired Words

come up short shortcoming

Synonyms

come short

Questions

How do you pronounce fall short?: The recorded pronunciation is /fɔl ʃoɹt/.
What does fall short mean?: To be less satisfactory than expected; to be inadequate or insufficient.

How to pronounce fall short

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “fall short”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/fɔl ʃoɹt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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