What does hoarse mean?
Word: Hoarse
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Hoarse means describes a voice that sounds rough and harsh, usually because of a sore throat or too much shouting.
Synonyms: husky, croaky, rough, gruff
Antonyms: clear, smooth
Sounds like: horse (a large animal that people ride)
How do you spell hoarse?
Syllables: hoarse
Tricky part: It sounds exactly like horse, the animal, but the voice word has an a straight after the o. Children who write horse for hoarse lose that a.
Watch out for: hourse, haorse
Memory tip: A sore throat makes you say 'aah' at the doctor's, so a hoarse voice needs that a: ho-a-rse. The animal horse has no a.
Idioms and Phrases
- shout yourself hoarse: to shout so much that your voice becomes rough Example: "The fans shouted themselves hoarse when India hit the winning six."
Hoarse in a sentence
Example 1: After the debate competition, Ritika's voice was hoarse for two days.
Example 2: Grandpa's hoarse cough woke everyone in the house.
Example 3: The vendor called out the prices in a hoarse voice all evening.
Fun Fact
In Old English the word was has, with no r. The r crept in later, probably under the influence of a similar Old Norse word.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with the given word?
hoarse
a) worse
b) source
c) course
d) force
Show answer
a) worse. Worse has the 'ur' sound of word, while force, course and source share the 'or' sound of hoarse.
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
hoar_ _
a) ze
b) se
c) ss
d) ce
Show answer
b) se. Course and hoarse finish the same way, with se.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) running : brethless
b) staying up late : sleepy
c) skipping lunch : hungry
d) shouting : hoarse
Show answer
a) running : brethless. Breathless keeps the ea of breath.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
By the end of the long rehearsal, the drama teacher was hoarse, so she wrote her instructions on the whiteboard insted.
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
Show answer
b) 1. Hoarse is right here; only instead is wrong, as it needs ea: in-stead.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Priya cheered so loudly at the kabaddi match that she became hoarse. How did her voice sound the next day?
a) loud and clear
b) low and scratchy
c) soft and smooth
d) high and sweet
Show answer
b) low and scratchy
2. After a bad cold, Ravi's voice was hoarse. Which word describes his voice best?
a) raspy
b) sweet
c) shrill
d) silent
Show answer
a) raspy
