uhn-dur-SKAWR
/ˌʌndɚˈskɔɹ/
underscore is pronounced uhn-dur-SKAWR (/ˌʌndɚˈskɔɹ/). Underscore is a verb or noun meaning to emphasize or highlight something, or a character (_) used in writing to indicate spacing, emphasis, or to separate elements. It denotes importance or acts as a placeholder in digital text. The term combines.
Underscore is a verb or noun meaning to emphasize or highlight something, or a character (_) used in writing to indicate spacing, emphasis, or to separate elements. It denotes importance or acts as a placeholder in digital text. The term combines
"- In the document, you should underscore the key findings."
"- The file name underscores words to improve readability."
"- Some programming languages use an underscore as a placeholder."
You pronounce it as /ˌən.dɚˈskɔːr/ in US English, with stress on the second syllable after the introductory schwa. Break it into three parts: un- (unstressed, lax schwa), der- (stressed, rhotic /ɚ/), and -score (rhotic /skaʊr/ or /skɔːr/ depending on accent). Mouth-position is relaxed at the start, then a mid-back tongue for /ɚ/, then a rounded, slightly tensed /ɔː/ before the final /r/. In practice: “un-der-SCORE.” Audio guidance: listen for the clear final /ɔːr/ tail and the secondary stress on SCORE. IPA: US /ˌən.dɚˈskɔːr/; UK /ˌən.dəˈskɔː/; AU /ˌən.dəˈskɔː/.”,
Common errors include: misplacing the stress (say-ing /ˈən.dɚˌskoʊr/ instead of /ˌən.dɚˈskɔːr/), flattening the final /ɔːr/ to /ɔr/ or /oʊr/, and mispronouncing the middle /ɚ/ as /ɜː/ or /ɝ/ in some dialects. Correction: keep the primary stress on SCORE, ensure a quick, unstressed initial /ən/ and a relaxed /ɚ/ before /ˈskɔːr/. Practice by separating syllables: /ən dɚ skɔːr/ and then blend to /ˌən.dɚˈskɔːr/.”,
US vowels tend to be rhotic with a clear /ɚ/ in the second syllable and a full /ɔː/ in SCORE. UK often reduces /ɚ/ to a schwa-like /ə/ and may have a shorter /ɔː/ quality. Australian tends toward a broad /ɔː/ with less rhoticity and a less pronounced /ɚ/. Overall, the rhythm remains three-syllable with secondary stress on the first unstressed syllable and primary stress on SCORE; the final /r/ is non-rhotic in UK and AU but rhotic in US in most contexts due to linking, though in careful speech, /r/ may be pronounced. IPA references: US /ˌən.dɚˈskɔːr/, UK /ˌən.dəˈskɔː/, AU /ˌən.dəˈskɔː/.
The difficulty comes from the three-syllable structure with a stressed final syllable, the rhotic /ɚ/ in the second syllable, and the long /ɔː/ in SCORE. Coordinating a rapid transition from a lax /ən/ to a tense /ˈskɔːr/ while maintaining the /ɚ/ quality can challenge non-native speakers. Practice focusing on segment by segment: /ən/ → /dɚ/ → /ˈskɔːr/ with a smooth, brief consonant cluster at the end. Mastery comes from slowed, then sped, repetition and listening to native models.
A distinctive feature is the emphasis combination of a light initial syllable with a heavier second-to-last and a full final syllable. The tri-syllabic rhythm (/ən.dɚˈskɔːr/) can be tricky because the stress falls on SCORE while the preceding /ən dɚ/ remains unstressed but clearly enunciated. Focus on achieving a clean /d/ then an immediate lift into /skɔːr/. In non-rhotic accents, you’ll notice a weaker /r/ in final position, so the word may sound like /ˌən.dəˈskɔː/.
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Underscore originates from the combination of the prefix under- and the noun underscore, dating back to the late 16th century in English. The term was originally used in typography to indicate a line beneath text, akin tounderline but placed below. The modern sense broadened to include emphasis in writing, and in computing, underscore emerged as a character name for the symbol _ used to separate words or to act as a placeholder in programming and file names. The word underlined its metaphorical function: to “place something under” the text for emphasis, while the symbol gained a prominent status in digital literacy as a repository of identifiers, file names, and code conventions. First known usage appears in early modern English typography and prose, with the symbol underscore entering technical jargon as typewriters and later computers popularized monospaced and variable-width text. Over time, “underscore” as a verb became common parlance in editing and communication, while as a noun the symbol has become indispensable in programming, markup languages, and user interfaces to convey spacing, separation, and emphasis without altering the visible text. The term now spans linguistics, typography, and computer science, reflecting its adaptable role in signaling importance and structure in both written and digital content.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "underscore" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "underscore"
-ore sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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