Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hooray

/həˈɹeɪ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.20 in modern English

Syllables: hooray
IPA: /həˈɹeɪ/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

Used to express approval, joy or victory.

intj

Australian usage; Colloquial

noun

A shout to signify victory.

noun

An expression of excitement.

noun

Ellipsis of Hooray Henry.

British usage; Colloquial; Derogatory

verb

To shout an expression of excitement.

Example Sentences

"Lizzie has broken a world record, and she is now an Olympic medallist! – Hooray!"
"“And I told him, ‘I even guarantee I’ll take (the girl) to the airport and put her on a plane and wave, Hooray’.”"
"The Caribbean isn’t just for minor royals and hedge-fund hoorays. […] But the hurricanes had not struck the southern Caribbean (they rarely do), and the hedge fund hoorays were clearly confined to Mustique."

Etymology

Unknown, first attested in the late 17th c. Possible etymologies: * Alteration of huzzah. This is however questionable. * From hurra in German, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, húrra in Icelandic, hoera in Dutch.

Usage

Inflected Forms

hurray (alternative) hurrah (alternative) huzzah (alternative) hoorah (alternative) hooroo (alternative) hoorays (plural) hoorays (present, singular) hooraying (participle, present) hoorayed (participle, past) hoorayed (past)

Phrases

boo-hooray hip hip hooray hooray for Hollywood

Synonyms

well done yay hurrah

Homonyms

hurray

Rhymes With

they way may day say one-way away play today pay stay re

Questions

How do you pronounce hooray?: The recorded pronunciation is /həˈɹeɪ/.
What does hooray mean?: Used to express approval, joy or victory.
Where does hooray come from?: Unknown, first attested in the late 17th c. Possible etymologies: * Alteration of huzzah. This is however questionable. * From hurra in German, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, húrra in Icelandic, hoera in Dutch.

How to pronounce hooray

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