How Do You Spell OURS?

Pronunciation: [ˈa͡ʊ͡əz] (IPA)

The word "ours" is spelled with four letters but has only one syllable. It is pronounced as /aʊərz/ or "ow-uhz." The IPA phonetic transcription of the first vowel sound is /aʊ/ or "ow," which is a diphthong, a combination of two sounds. The second sound is /ə/ or "uh," which is a schwa sound. The letter "r" following the vowel sound is not pronounced in some dialects, resulting in a final sound of /z/ or "z." Used as a pronoun, "ours" refers to something belonging to us.

OURS Meaning and Definition

  1. Ours is a pronoun that refers to something belonging to or associated with us. It is a possessive form of the pronoun "we." It denotes ownership or possession by the speaker or writer and the people or group they are including in their statement.

    Ours is commonly used to reflect collective ownership or possession. It indicates that something belongs to the speaker and others who are being spoken of in the first person plural sense. It is often used to express inclusivity and unity among a group of people.

    For example, if a group of friends collectively owns a car, they might say, "The car is ours," meaning everyone in the group has a shared ownership of the vehicle. In this context, ours emphasizes the joint ownership and represents a sense of unity and common interest.

    Ours can also be used to express possession in relation to a specific item or object. For instance, if someone asks, "Whose laptop is this?" and the response is "It's ours," it signifies that the laptop belongs to the speaker and someone else, or a group they are representing.

    In summary, ours is a pronoun that indicates ownership or possession by the speaker and others in their group or representation. It highlights collective ownership and can be used to express unity and commonality among a set of individuals.

  2. Of we; when the noun is expressed, our is employed-as, our house; when no noun is expressed, ours is employed-as, that house is ours, that is, our house.

    Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.

Top Common Misspellings for OURS *

* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.

Other Common Misspellings for OURS

Etymology of OURS

The word ours in English is a possessive pronoun used to indicate that something belongs to the speaker and at least one other person. It is derived from the Old English word ure, which was the genitive form of the first person plural pronoun we. Ure eventually evolved into ours in Middle English and has remained relatively unchanged since then. The word ultimately traces back to the Proto-Germanic language, where it appeared as unser or unsar.

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