Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

five o'clock shadow

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.88 in modern English

Syllables
five o'-clock- shad-ow
IPA
37
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
4
Syllables
13
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A dark appearance on a man's chin and face caused by the slight growth of beard that has occurred since he shaved in the morning.

Countable; Informal; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

First use appears c. 1942, US, advertising copy written by Jules B. Singer of the Federal Advertising Agency for the Gem brand of safety razors, made by the American Safety Razor Company.

Usage

Inflected Forms

five o'clock shadows (plural) 5 o'clock shadow (alternative) five-o'clock shadow (alternative)

Phrases

designer stubble

Frequently Paired Words

stubble designer stubble

Questions

What does five o'clock shadow mean?
A dark appearance on a man's chin and face caused by the slight growth of beard that has occurred since he shaved in the morning.
Where does five o'clock shadow come from?
First use appears c. 1942, US, advertising copy written by Jules B. Singer of the Federal Advertising Agency for the Gem brand of safety razors, made by the American Safety Razor Company.

How to pronounce five o'clock shadow

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “five o'clock shadow”.
  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 “five o'clock shadow”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “five o'clock shadow” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.