2 syllables: fur, rows. Stress on fur.
FUR-ohz
/ˈfɝoʊz/
furrows is pronounced FUR-ohz (/ˈfɝoʊz/). It has two syllables (fur-rows), with the stress on "fur". Furrows is the plural of furrow, meaning narrow grooves or channels, typically in ground or skin. It can also describe lines or wrinkles formed on a surface or by expressive movement. The word often appears in farming, anatomy, or descriptive prose to convey texture or depth.
Furrows is the plural of furrow, meaning narrow grooves or channels, typically in ground or skin. It can also describe lines or wrinkles formed on a surface or by expressive movement. The word often appears in farming, anatomy, or descriptive prose to convey texture or depth.
"- The farmer plowed neat furrows across the field."
"- Deep furrows lined the old man's cheeks as he smiled."
"- The surgeon marked furrows on the skin to guide incisions."
Pronounce it as /ˈfɜːroʊz/ (US) or /ˈfɜːrəʊz/ (UK/AU). Stress the first syllable: FUR-rows. The second syllable starts with a rhotic or non-rhotic r depending on accent; in most US varieties the /r/ is pronounced, yielding /roʊ/. In non-rhotic accents, the /r/ in the second syllable may be weaker or non-pronounced, producing /rəʊ/ or /əʊ/.
Common errors: 1) Slurring the first vowel into a quick schwa; keep /ɜː/ as a tense, mid-central vowel. 2) Misplacing the /r/ in the second syllable in non-rhotic accents; ensure an /r/ or a clear /ə/ before /ʊ/ depending on accent. 3) Treating as 'fur-ohs' with /oʊ/ instead of /oʊ/ in US; keep the second syllable /roʊz/ with z sound.
US: /ˈfɜːroʊz/ with rhotic /r/ in both syllables and a clear /oʊ/ diphthong. UK: /ˈfɜːrəʊz/ with non-rhotic or weaker postvocalic /r/ and a long /əʊ/ in second syllable. AU: /ˈfɜːrəʊz/ similar to UK, but with broader vowel quality and softer /r/ in many speakers. Across accents, the vowel in the first syllable remains /ɜː/ or /ɜːr/; second syllable shifts from /oʊ/ to /əʊ/ or /əʊz/ depending on rhoticity.
Difficulties arise from the combination of a tense, mid back vowel /ɜː/ followed by a rounded high-front/central /oʊ/ diphthong in many accents, plus the /z/ at the end that can voice/voicing blend with preceding syllable. The second-syllable vowel change and optional /r/ intensify this, especially in non-rhotic varieties where the /r/ may be silent or reduced.
Is the 'r' in the second syllable pronounced in British English when saying furrows? In many British varieties, the second-syllable r is not pronounced as a hard /r/ unless a following vowel sounds; it can become a reduced /ə/ before the /ʊ/ or /əʊ/ depending on rhythm, yielding a lighter /rəʊz/ or /rəʊz/ sound. So practice with a light, almost non-rhotic /r/ in the second syllable, while maintaining a clear first-syllable /ɜː/.
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Furrow comes from Old English furh, meaning a groove or trench, related to Dutch vurt or German Furche, from Proto-Germanic *furhi- meaning a furrow or ditch. The plural furrows appears in Middle English as furouwe(s) reflecting regular pluralization. The core sense—long, narrow indentation or groove—extends metaphorically to wrinkles or furrows in fabric or skin. Historically, furrow denoted agricultural ridges but broadened to describe any groove, seam, or line. The term appears in texts as early as the 9th–12th centuries in agricultural and landscape descriptions, evolving to depict lines in skin (wrinkles) and rock faces. Over time, furrow has retained its tactile imagery in poetry and science, while in modern contexts it also conveys competitive or strategic formations (furrowed fields, a furrow of thought). In essence, the word’s semantic trajectory moves from literal ground grooves to figurative lines and textures, preserving its core visual cue of a linear indentation formed by force or movement.
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Words that rhyme with "furrows"
-ows sounds
-me) sounds
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