showboat
/ˈʃoʊˌboʊt/noun, verb
showboat is spelled S-H-O-W-B-O-A-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,114th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, showboat means “A river steamboat having a resident theatre” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of showboat is showboats.
How many letters and syllables are in showboat?
| Letters | 8: S-H-O-W-B-O-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 65,114th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is showboat?
Showboat appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,114th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce showboat?
- US /ˈʃoʊˌboʊt/
Showboat has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-showboat.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with showboat?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as showboat from its last stressed vowel (/oʊboʊt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of showboat
- showboats plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- showboating participle, present
- showboated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does showboat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
USA river steamboat having a resident theatre.
- 2
USinformalA person, often an athlete or performer, who behaves in an ostentatious, flashy manner to attract attention or admiration; a showoff.
verb
- 1
USinformalTo show off.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Showboat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense river steamer with theatre:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bateau-théâtre |
| German | Theaterschiff |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does showboat come from?
From show + boat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).