3 syllables: house, keep, er. Stress on house.
HOW-skee-pur
/ˈhaʊˌskipɚ/
housekeeper is pronounced HOW-skee-pur (/ˈhaʊˌskipɚ/). It has three syllables (house-keep-er), with the stress on "house". A person employed to perform domestic cleaning and related chores in a household, often combining tasks such as cleaning, laundry, and organizing. The term spans both professional service roles and informal help, typically implying regular, organized duties rather than sporadic cleaning. Stress is usually on the first syllable in most varieties of English.
A person employed to perform domestic cleaning and related chores in a household, often combining tasks such as cleaning, laundry, and organizing. The term spans both professional service roles and informal help, typically implying regular, organized duties rather than sporadic cleaning. Stress is usually on the first syllable in most varieties of English.
- You: You may misplace the stress, saying haʊsˈkiːpər or haʊskiːpər; correct by maintaining primary stress on the first syllable: ˈhaʊs-. - You: You may run the two morphemes together too quickly, producing a clipped /ˈhaʊskiːpər/. Practice deliberate silences between house and keeper, ensuring a crisp /s/ ending of house and full vowel in kiː. - You: Final -er may reduce to a schwa without effort; ensure you clearly articulate /ər/ rather than a quick, muted /ə/. Reduce hesitation by practicing syllable separation then blending.
"The housekeeper tidied the kitchen, changed the linens, and dusted the shelves."
"We hire a full-time housekeeper to manage daily chores and errands."
"The hotel employs a housekeeper who rotates through rooms on a scheduled basis."
Pronounce as /ˈhaʊsˌkiːpər/ in US English, with primary stress on HOUse (the first syllable) and secondary emphasis on KEEP. In careful speech the -er ending is /ər/. Lips form a rounded position for /oʊ/ in 'house' and spread slightly for /iː/ in 'keeper.' You’ll start with a quick, rounded onset for /haʊs/, then glide into /kiːp/ and finish with /ər/. Audio support: consider listening to the /ˈhaʊsˌkiːpər/ reference on Pronounce or Cambridge audio demos.
Common errors include misplacing the primary stress or merging the two syllables too closely. People may say /ˈhaʊskiːpər/ by flattening the /s/ into /sk/ or mispronouncing /ˈhaʊs/ as /haɪs/ and dropping the /p/ in keeper. Correct by isolating the two morphemes: house + keeper, keeping the /s/ crisp and ensuring the /p/ in keeper is released, then a clear final schwa /ər/. Practice the syllable boundary to avoid vowel run-through.
US: strong rhotic awareness; /ˈhaʊsˌkiːpər/ with /r/ in the final syllable as a post-vocalic /ɚ/ in rhotic accents. UK: non-rhotic; final /ə/ or /ə/ reduced; /ˈhaʊsˌkiːpə/ with a lighter final vowel. AU: similar to UK but with more pronounced vowel quality; /ˈhaʊsˌkiːpə/ and subtle vowel coloring for /ɪ/ vs /iː/ depending on speaker. Focus on keeping the two components distinct even as vowel quality shifts.
The difficulty lies in the consonant cluster /sˈkiː/ between house and keeper and the final unstressed syllable /ər/. The two-morpheme boundary often causes a blending or elision; speakers may drop the /p/ or merge /kiːp/ with /tʃ/ in rapid speech. Stress management between the initial strong syllable and the second strong-ish syllable, plus accurate articulation of /ˈhaʊs/ and /ˈkiːp/ can be tricky. Practice with deliberate breaks and slower tempo to stabilize the rhythm.
A practical question people search: "Is it house-KEEp er or house-keePER?" The accurate form is house-KEEP-er with the primary stress on the first syllable and secondary emphasis on the second, giving /ˈhaʊsˌkiːpər/. The second syllable carries the /kiː/ vowel, and the final /ər/ reduces in non-rhotic varieties. Paying attention to the boundary between house and keeper helps prevent mispronunciation like /ˈhaʊskiːpər/ or /ˈhaʊs kiːpər/.
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- US: rhotic /ɹ/ in final syllable, keep /ər/ as rhotic schwa; /ˈhaʊsˌkiːpər/. - UK: non-rhotic; final /ə/ or /ə/ with reduced coda; /ˈhaʊsˌkiːpə/. /r/ not pronounced unless followed by a vowel. - AU: similar to UK with slightly clearer /ɜː/ or /ə/ depending on speaker; maintain /kiːp/ as long vowel. - Key tips: keep lip rounding for house initial, avoid over-rounding for keeper, ensure the /p/ is released distinctly, and maintain steady alveolar /s/ between /haʊs/ and /kiːp/.
The term housekeeper combines house with keeper, dating back to earlier forms of English where a keeper was someone who guards, tends, or preserves. The sense evolved in domestic language to designate someone who takes responsibility for maintaining a household. The earliest uses appear in Middle English, with phrases like “house-keeper” used to describe a person who keeps the house in order, as distinct from a servant who might perform tasks more broadly. By the 17th and 18th centuries, compound forms like housekeeper were common in English-speaking households and in domestic service manuals, reflecting a structured division of labor within homes. The word keeper, from Old English cȳpir or cæpian (to seize or hold), is cognate with German keeping and Dutch bewaren; house itself traces to Proto-Germanic husam, related to hus, meaning dwelling. The modern sense remains stable: a person responsible for internal housekeeping operations, either in private homes or in hospitality settings, with the role often accompanied by a set of ongoing duties rather than episodic tasks. First known use in published English appears in early modern texts, with the compound fully established by the 18th century in both domestic and institutional contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "housekeeper" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "housekeeper"
-per sounds
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