Phrase guide

horse-hoarse merger

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • General-American: /hoɹs ˈhoɹs ˌmɝdʒɚ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /hɔːs ˈhɔːs ˌmɜːdʒə/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /hoːs ˈhoːs ˌməːdʒə/
  • Australian: /hoːs ˈhoːs ˌmɜːdʒə/
  • New-Zealand: /hoːs ˈhoːs ˌmøːdʒə/
  • Scotland: /hɔɾs ˈhoɾs ˌmɛɾdʒəɾ/
  • /hɒːs ˈhɔːs ˌmɜːdʒə/ Manchester
  • Eastern-New-England: /hɒːs ˈhoəs ˌmɜ(ɹ)dʒə/
  • /hɔɹs ˈhoɹs ˌmɝdʒɚ/ early 20th century General American, near-obsolete
  • Received-Pronunciation, obsolete: /hɔːs ˈhɔəs ˌmɜːdʒə/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A phonemic merger of /ɔɹ/ and /oɹ/, so that pairs of words such as horse and hoarse, war and wore, for and four, etc become homophones.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, phonology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.