Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

shul

/ʃʊl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.21 in modern English

Syllables: shul
IPA: /ʃʊl/

7

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An Ashkenazi synagogue.

Example Sentences

"That Asher's mind would have also been on Elohim, at this moment receiving prayers in Asher's shul, goes without saying."
"Unfortunately, she has used the attack as a launch pad for a bizarre and undercooked exercise in rhetorical bothsidesism, in which she argues that American Jews should be just as worried about college students who overzealously criticize Israel as they are about the aspiring Einsatzgruppen who shoot up shuls."
"This is a regular shul outfit: the denizens of St John’s Wood United Synagogue are well used to their most colourful member looking like he’s going to a Purim party every week of the year. […] The other reason he has upped his synagogue attendance is more positive. “My life has been about introducing everyone to everyone and going to shul can be like one big party."

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish שול (shul, “school, synagogue”), from Old High German scuola (“school”), from Latin schola, from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ). Doublet of schola and school.

Origin

Source language: Old High German

Word Breakdown

Root: scuola, schola, σχολή

Inflected Forms

shuls (plural) shuln (plural) shool (alternative, dated) schul (alternative) schule (alternative) shule (alternative)

Derived Forms

shulgoer

Phrases

shul-goer

Rhymes With

school you'll cool rule fuel pool tool fool cruel adverse interest rule jewel stool

Questions

How do you pronounce shul?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʃʊl/.
What does shul mean?: An Ashkenazi synagogue.
Where does shul come from?: It is traced to Old High German.

How to pronounce shul

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