One syllable: Shroud.
shrowd
/ʃɹaʊd/
Shroud is pronounced shrowd (/ʃɹaʊd/). It has one syllable (Shroud), with the stress on "Shroud". Shroud is a noun meaning a cloth or garment that covers or hides something, often used to veil or conceal. It can also refer to something that covers or obscurement in a figurative sense, such as a shroud of fog or mystery. The term conveys enclosure, concealment, and a sense of enveloping cover.
nounShroud is a noun meaning a cloth or garment that covers or hides something, often used to veil or conceal. It can also refer to something that covers or obscurement in a figurative sense, such as a shroud of fog or mystery. The term conveys enclosure, concealment, and a sense of enveloping cover.
How to Pronounce Shroud
"The villagers wrapped the body in a white shroud for burial."
"A shroud of fog lay over the valley, muffling the morning light."
"The company wore a shroud of secrecy around the new product announcement."
Utter it as a single syllable /ʃraʊd/. Start with the voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/ as in 'shoe,' then glide into the diphthong /aʊ/ as in 'now,' and finish with /d/. The tip of the tongue rises toward the hard palate for /ʃ/, then the jaw drops slightly for /aʊ/, and you close with a light /d/. Stress is on the entire one-syllable word. For audio reference, imagine the typical American/British pronunciation, then compare to native speaker samples on Pronounce or YouGlish.
Common errors include pronouncing /ʃ/ as a /s/ or /tʃ/ sound, misarticulating the /aʊ/ as a long /oː/ or /ɛ/ vowel, and ending with an over-aspirated /h/ or a devoiced /t/ instead of /d/. To correct: keep the initial /ʃ/ sharp and sibilant, shape the mouth for /aɪ/ like in 'loud' but shorter, and finish with a clean /d/ with the tongue touching the alveolar ridge. Practice saying 'shout' quickly, then replace /t/ with /d/ to mirror the correct closure. Listen to native clips and shadow slowly to internalize the final stop.
In US/UK/AU, the core /ʃraʊd/ is consistent in the consonant cluster. Rhotic differences do not affect it since there is no /r/ after a vowel stress pattern here; though the rhotic accent might slightly color the vowel quality. The main variation is subtle: some speakers in fast speech reduce the /aɪ/ diphthong toward a shorter /a/ or glide; others maintain a crisp /aʊ/ with a quicker transition. Overall, the word remains monosyllabic with the same sonority of /ʃ/ and /d/ endings across regions.
The challenge lies in the short, crisp onset /ʃ/ combined with the diphthong /aʊ/ and the final alveolar stop /d/. Many learners blend the /ʃ/ with a /s/ or omit the final /d/, resulting in /ʃraʊ/ or /ʃraʊt/. Focus on releasing the /d/ cleanly after the vowel and keeping the /ʃ/ fronted. Slow, deliberate practice with minimal pairs like 'shroud' vs 'shroud' gifs is not helpful; instead use 'shout' vs 'shroud' to hear the difference in final consonant timing and place.
In shroud, the 'ow' corresponds to the /aʊ/ diphthong, similar to 'how' or 'now,' not the /aʊ/ in 'cough' or /aʊ/ as in 'crowd' for dialectal stretches. It is closer to 'now' in most dialects, with a falling lip rounding toward an open-mid position as you glide from /a/ to /ʊ/ toward /d/. The exact articulation is a rapid transition: start with /a/ (low-mid jaw open), glide to /ʊ/ (high back rounded) and end with /d/.
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Shroud comes from the Old English scrod or scrōd, related to the verb scrūd (to cover or wrap), reflecting its root meaning of a garment that covers the body. The word traveled through Middle English with the sense of a cloth for burial, particularly the cloth enveloping a corpse. By the 14th century, shroud began to denote any covering that hides or muffles, not just burial cloth, expanding metaphorically to fog, mystery, or secrecy. The semantic shift from a tangible burial cloth to a broader sense of concealment mirrors cultural associations with death, protection, and the unknown. The term has cognates in Germanic languages and has maintained its core meaning of a protective or concealing cover, though modern usage often emphasizes atmosphere, secrecy, or protection rather than ritual garments. In contemporary English, shroud is widely used both literally and figuratively, retaining a somewhat elevated tone (poetic or formal) when referring to concealment or enveloping situations. First known use in Middle English texts appears around the 1300s, with literary and religious texts contributing to its figurative breadth over time.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Shroud" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Shroud" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Shroud"
-oud sounds
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