Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

underscore

/ˈʌn.dɚˌskoɹ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.97 in modern English

Syllables: un-der-score
IPA: /ˈʌn.dɚˌskoɹ/

13

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A line drawn or printed beneath text; the character _.

noun

A piece of background music.

verb

To underline; to mark a line beneath text.

Transitive verb

verb

To emphasize or draw attention to.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"He walks into the house and picks up a pen. The thought he has is a brilliant idea. He must write it down. Only two words need to be written. The underscore adds importance. / BOUNTY HUNTER"
"By convention, Rubyists usually underscore their method names."
"I wish to underscore the importance of proper formatting."
"The tale thus underscores in expressive form the semiparadoxical fact that traders can lie by telling the truth."
"Not trusting filmgoers to catch the drift, Ms. Coppola underscores the women’s attempts to gussy up with snippets of arch dialogue."
"Biden on Monday unveiled new measures to tackle antisemitism on college campuses and senior officials underscored the need to combat anti-Jewish hate."

Etymology

From under- + score.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: under

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈʌn.dɚˌskoɹ/
British English: /ˈʌn.dəˌskɔː(ɹ)/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

underscores (plural) underscores (present, singular) underscoring (participle, present) underscored (participle, past) underscored (past)

Derived Forms

underscorer

Phrases

asterisk and asterism at sign degree symbol number sign vertical bar

Frequently Paired Words

underbar undertie ampersand asterisk and asterism at sign backslash bullet dagger

Synonyms

underline low line emphasize emphasise

Rhymes With

for or your more before four war d'or door store floor anymore

Questions

How do you pronounce underscore?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʌn.dɚˌskoɹ/.
What does underscore mean?: A line drawn or printed beneath text; the character _.
Where does underscore come from?: From under- + score.

How to pronounce underscore

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