Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

draw the short straw

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.91 in modern English

Syllables
draw the short- s-traw
IPA
30
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To select the shortest straw or other object while drawing straws.

verb

To be selected to do an undesirable task (by drawing the shortest straw or otherwise).

Example Sentences

Inflected Forms

draws the short straw (present, singular) drawing the short straw (participle, present) drew the short straw (past) drawn the short straw (participle, past)

Phrases

short end of the stick shit end of the stick

Frequently Paired Words

short end of the stick shit end of the stick

Questions

What does draw the short straw mean?
To select the shortest straw or other object while drawing straws.

How to pronounce draw the short straw

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