Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

houseboat

/ˈhaʊsˌboʊt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.67 in modern English

Syllables: house-boat
IPA: /ˈhaʊsˌboʊt/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A vessel, such as a barge, used as a dwelling.

Example Sentences

"Graceful old houses stand by the edge of the Great Ouse and gaze down at the houseboats, skiffs and motor-cruisers that moor there."
"Hiro ducks out of Tranny's celebratory dinner rather early, drags Reason off the zodiac and onto the front porch of the houseboat, opens it up and jacks his personal computer into its bios."
"Petaluma is also well-positioned as a base for the current riches of the region. Think of this town as the hub of a pioneer’s wagon wheel, spokes stretching out in all directions to day trip points of interest. West to Point Reyes National Seashore and Bodega Bay, north to the redwoods around Guerneville, east to wine country, and south for hiking on Mount Tamalpais or the houseboats and dockside fun of Sausalito, then just over Golden Gate bridge to the big city — all reachable within an hour, traffic-willing."

Etymology

From house + boat.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈhaʊsˌboʊt/

Inflected Forms

houseboats (plural)

Derived Forms

houseboater houseboating

Frequently Paired Words

boathouse

Questions

How do you pronounce houseboat?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhaʊsˌboʊt/.
What does houseboat mean?: A vessel, such as a barge, used as a dwelling.
Where does houseboat come from?: From house + boat.

How to pronounce houseboat

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