Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

horrify

/ˈhɔɹəfaɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.13 in modern English

Syllables
hor-ri-fy
IPA
/ˈhɔɹəfaɪ/
16
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease; to cause to experience horror.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From horror + -ify, or borrowed from Latin horrificare (cf. French horrifier). 1791, in form horrifying.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhɔɹəfaɪ/
  • British English: /ˈhɒɹɪfaɪ/

Inflected Forms

horrifies (present, singular) horrifying (participle, present) horrified (participle, past) horrified (past)

Derived Forms

horrification

Frequently Paired Words

horrendous horrible horrid horrific horror

Synonyms

frighten dismay alarm appal appall

Rhymes With

glorify

Questions

How do you pronounce horrify?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɔɹəfaɪ/.
What does horrify mean?
To cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease; to cause to experience horror.
Where does horrify come from?
From horror + -ify, or borrowed from Latin horrificare (cf. French horrifier). 1791, in form horrifying.

How to pronounce horrify

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