Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

zoo-

/ˈzoʊ.ə/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.14 in modern English

Syllables
zoo-
IPA
/ˈzoʊ.ə/
12
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
2
Syllables
2
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

animal

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- Proto-Indo-European *gʷyéh₃-w-os Proto-Hellenic *d͏̌ōwós Ancient Greek ζωός (zōós) Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Ancient Greek -ῐος (-ĭos)? Ancient Greek -ῐον (-ĭon) Ancient Greek ζώῐ̈ον (zṓĭ̈on) Ancient Greek ζῷον (zōîon)der. English zoo- From (combining form of) Ancient Greek ζῷον (zōîon, “animal”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈzoʊ.ə/
  • British English: /ˈzəʊ.ə/

Homonyms

zoa

Questions

How do you pronounce zoo-?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈzoʊ.ə/.
What does zoo- mean?
animal
Where does zoo- come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce zoo-

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