Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

par for the course

/ˈpɑɹ fɚ ðə ˈkɔɹs/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.13 in modern English

Syllables: par -for the -course
IPA: /ˈpɑɹ fɚ ðə ˈkɔɹs/

25

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

3

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Normal; common; to be expected. (Often connotes something undesirable).

Example Sentences

"It took a long time to finish, but that's par for the course on a project like this."
"[…] Nigella Lawson and Ralph Fiennes, we were told, might pop by later. The Gopniks smiled calmly: this was all par for the course for them."
"The extra scrutiny was a sign of the times, but having never IPO-ed a company before, most of the executive team took it as par for the course."

Etymology

Originally a phrase used in golf. Ironically, completing a golf course in par (or even net par) is actually unusually good for most golfers and is not a typical result.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɑɹ fɚ ðə ˈkɔɹs/
British English: /ˈpɑː fə ðə ˈkɔːs/

Inflected Forms

more par for the course (comparative) most par for the course (superlative) course par (alternative)

Synonyms

predictable typical unsurprising usual average basic bog-standard common common as bums common as dirt common as muck common as pig tracks

Questions

How do you pronounce par for the course?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɑɹ fɚ ðə ˈkɔɹs/.
What does par for the course mean?: Normal; common; to be expected. (Often connotes something undesirable).
Where does par for the course come from?: Originally a phrase used in golf. Ironically, completing a golf course in par (or even net par) is actually unusually good for most golfers and is not a typical result.

How to pronounce par for the course

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