One syllable: Woe.
woh
/woʊ/
Woe is pronounced woh (/woʊ/). It has one syllable (Woe), with the stress on "Woe". Woe is a noun referring to intense sorrow or distress, often used in literary or formal contexts. It denotes a state of deep unhappiness or misfortune, sometimes personified as lament or grievance. In modern usage it can also express sympathy or sorrow about someone’s trouble, not just one’s own.
nounWoe is a noun referring to intense sorrow or distress, often used in literary or formal contexts. It denotes a state of deep unhappiness or misfortune, sometimes personified as lament or grievance. In modern usage it can also express sympathy or sorrow about someone’s trouble, not just one’s own.
"After the loss of his job, he spoke of his woe to his friends."
"The old legends speak of woe that comes with unheeded warnings."
"She described her woe in a quiet, trembling voice."
You say it as /woʊ/. It’s a one-syllable word with a long ‘o’ vowel, starting with a rounded lip shape and a relaxed onset. The mouth starts rounded for the /w/ and glides into /oʊ/ as in ‘go,’ keeping the vowel steady and lengthened, with no final consonant. IPA: /woʊ/. Audio reference: compare with words like ‘go’ and ‘coat.’
Common errors include pronouncing it as /woʊk/ with a hard ending or shortening the vowel to a lax /o/ as /wo/. To correct, keep the vowel a full diphthong /oʊ/ without adding a coda consonant; practice by echoing single-syllable shapes: begin with rounded lips for /w/ and smoothly transition to the tight, rising glide of /oʊ/.
In US and UK, /woʊ/ is a smooth, rounded diphthong, without rhoticity effects; rhymes with ‘go,’ ‘flow.’ In some Australian varieties, the vowel can be a slightly longer or more open /woː/ in casual speech, with less lip rounding on the initial /w/. The main difference lies in vowel length and quality rather than consonant articulation.
Difficulties arise from producing a clean /woʊ/ without adding extra consonants or reducing the diphthong to a simple /o/. Some speakers also introduce a subtle schwa or glide that disrupts the pure /woʊ/ sequence. Focus on maintaining rounded lips for /w/ and a seamless glide from /w/ to /oʊ/.
Woe stands out because its long vowel /oʊ/ is a closed, tight diphthong without a nasal or final consonant. While words like ‘woe’ rhyme with ‘go’ or ‘flow,’ they don’t share an added consonant; you’ll hear that clean vocalic ending. The etymology supports its compact phonetic footprint, making precise lip rounding and a clean glide essential.
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Woe originates from Old English wo, which meant sorrow or distress. The term has Germanic roots, related to Old Frisian wo and Dutch woede, reflecting a sense of trouble or grief. It traces to Proto-Germanic *wōz” or similar forms signifying a state of pain or misfortune. In early English, woe appeared in poetry and religious texts to describe deep sorrow associated with tragedy or divine judgment. Over time, the noun widened to a more general sense of distress, though it retained its literary and formal tone. By the Middle English period, writers used woe to personify or evoke solemn emotion, often paired with phrases like “woe unto” to express admonition. In modern usage, woe remains a compact, high-register term used in literary, ceremonial, or melodramatic contexts, occasionally appearing in idioms such as “woe is me.” The word’s semantic core—profound sadness and trouble—has remained stable, though it has shifted toward a more rhetorical or poetic function in contemporary prose and speech.
💡 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 "Woe" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Woe" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Woe"
-low sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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