Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

voe

/voʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.79 in modern English

Syllables: voe
IPA: /voʊ/

6

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A narrow sea inlet, particularly in the Shetland Islands, similar to a fjord.

British usage

name

A village in Delting parish, Mainland, Shetland Islands council area, Scotland (OS grid ref HU4063).

name

A small settlement in Northmavine parish, north Mainland, Shetland Islands council area (OS grid ref HU3381).

Example Sentences

"The power thou dost covet / O'er tempest and wave, / Shall be thine, thou proud maiden, / By beach and by cave,— / By stack and by skerry, by noup, and by voe, / By air and by wick, and by helyer and gio, / And by every wild shore which the northern winds know, / And the northern tides lave."
"On a fine summer's evening, an inhabitant of Unst happened to be walking along the sandy margin of a voe."

Etymology

Shetland and Orkney dialect, from Norn, from Old Norse vágr (“inlet, bay”). Cognate with Swedish and Norwegian våg, and Faroese vágur. Doublet of way.

Word Breakdown

Root: *weǵʰ-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /voʊ/
British English: /vəʊ/

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

voes (plural) vae (alternative) vo (alternative)

Rhymes With

to so do no so-so know go show though as though oh ago

Questions

How do you pronounce voe?: The recorded pronunciation is /voʊ/.
What does voe mean?: A narrow sea inlet, particularly in the Shetland Islands, similar to a fjord.
Where does voe come from?: Shetland and Orkney dialect, from Norn, from Old Norse vágr (“inlet, bay”). Cognate with Swedish and Norwegian våg, and Faroese vágur. Doublet of way.

How to pronounce voe

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