Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rent boy

/ˈɹɛntˌbɔɪ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.48 in modern English

Syllables: ren-t boy
IPA: /ˈɹɛntˌbɔɪ/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A male prostitute, typically young and gay.

British usage; Informal

Example Sentences

"Francis Urquhart: Got anything on him? Tim Stamper: There was a whiff of scandal about ten years ago. Francis Urquhart: Rent boy. In a train. To Red Hill. Yes. Wanted to sell his story but we bought it and hushed him up. Be ungentlemanly to bring that up. A man's private life should be private. Tim Stamper: On the other hand, getting sucked off in second class is hardly prime ministerial behaviour. Francis Urquhart: Yes, you have a point there."
"An Irishman came up to him, bought him a drink, asked him if he was a rent boy, and agreed to give £40 for coming back."
"Just then, a rent boy with perfect white teeth and a babyface flashed me one of those unforgettable Thai smiles."

Etymology

From rent (“to lease, let out”) + boy, a diminutive term for man.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɹɛntˌbɔɪ/
British English: /ˈɹɛntˌbɔɪ/

Usage

British usage
Informal

Inflected Forms

rent boys (plural) rentboy (alternative)

Questions

How do you pronounce rent boy?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹɛntˌbɔɪ/.
What does rent boy mean?: A male prostitute, typically young and gay.
Where does rent boy come from?: From rent (“to lease, let out”) + boy, a diminutive term for man.

How to pronounce rent boy

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