Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

joshua

/ˈd͡ʒɑʃ(j)u.ə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.92 in modern English

Syllables
joshua
IPA
/ˈd͡ʒɑʃ(j)u.ə/
16
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

The sixth book of the Old Testament of the Bible, and a book of the Tanakh.

name

The son of Nun, Judge of Israel following Moses; author of the Book of Joshua; Quranic figure.

name

A male given name from Hebrew.

name

A surname, transferred from the given name

noun

A Joshua tree.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Biblical Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshúa'), perhaps from הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hoshéa') with addition of יהוה (YHWH, “Yahweh”), thus meaning "Yahweh is salvation". See הוֹשִׁיעַ (hoshía', “to save”). By cognate a direct equivalent to Jesus via Latin Iēsūs and Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) from Aramaic יֵשׁוּע (Yēšū́ʿ), akin to Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshúa'), a variant of Yehoshúa'. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament consistently render the two Hebrew names Yehoshúa' (whence Joshua) and Yeshúa' (whence Jeshua) into Koine Greek as Iēsoûs (whence Jesus).

Word Breakdown

  • Root: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ(j)u.ə/

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce joshua?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɑʃ(j)u.ə/.
What does joshua mean?
The sixth book of the Old Testament of the Bible, and a book of the Tanakh.
Where does joshua come from?
From Biblical Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshúa'), perhaps from הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hoshéa') with addition of יהוה (YHWH, “Yahweh”), thus meaning "Yahweh is salvation". See הוֹשִׁיעַ (hoshía', “to save”). By cognate a direct equivalent to Jesus via Latin Iēsūs and Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) from Aramaic יֵשׁוּע (Yēšū́ʿ), akin to Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshúa'), a variant of Yehoshúa'. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament consistently render the two Hebrew names Yehoshúa' (whence Joshua) and Yeshúa' (whence Jeshua) into Koine Greek as Iēsoûs (whence Jesus).

How to pronounce joshua

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