Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lonesome

/ˈloʊnsəm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.09 in modern English

Syllables: lone-some
IPA: /ˈloʊnsəm/

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Unhappy due to being alone; lonely.

noun

Informal

Example Sentences

"'Where'er the sun shakes out his spears, and the lonesome waters mirror up the moon, where'er storms roll [...] there shall thy power pass and thy dominion find a home.'"
"I sat and watched the cars pass all by my lonesome."

Etymology

From lone + -some, mid-17th century.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: lone

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈloʊnsəm/
British English: /ˈləʊnsəm/

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

more lonesome (comparative) most lonesome (superlative) lanesome (alternative, Scotland) lonesomes (plural)

Derived Forms

lonesomely lonesomeness unlonesome

Phrases

high lonesome sound by one's lonesome on one's lonesome

Synonyms

lonely lone only sole solitary

Questions

How do you pronounce lonesome?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈloʊnsəm/.
What does lonesome mean?: Unhappy due to being alone; lonely.
Where does lonesome come from?: From lone + -some, mid-17th century.

How to pronounce lonesome

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