Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

on a shoestring

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.65 in modern English

Syllables: on a shoestring
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

1

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

On a very tight budget; with few resources or little money.

Example Sentences

"The first year after we bought the house, we lived on a shoestring, but we survived."

Questions

What does on a shoestring mean?: On a very tight budget; with few resources or little money.

How to pronounce on a shoestring

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