Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

half-assed

/ˈhæfæst/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.93 in modern English

Syllables
half-assed
IPA
/ˈhæfæst/
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Poorly or incompetently done; desultory.

Slang

verb

simple past and past participle of half-ass

Example Sentences

Etymology

Possibly a humorous mispronunciation of haphazard.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhæfæst/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more half-assed (comparative) most half-assed (superlative) half-arsed (alternative, Commonwealth)

Phrases

half-assedly half-assedness half-baked half-cocked half-measure

Frequently Paired Words

quarter-assed whole-ass half-baked half-cocked half-measure

Synonyms

half-ass narrow-assed halfhearted

Questions

How do you pronounce half-assed?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhæfæst/.
What does half-assed mean?
Poorly or incompetently done; desultory.
Where does half-assed come from?
Possibly a humorous mispronunciation of haphazard.

How to pronounce half-assed

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “half-assed”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhæfæst/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “half-assed”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “half-assed” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.