ø
[ˈøˀ]common gender
The English word island is ø in Danish. Wiktionary also lists holm and skær.
Meaning: area of land completely surrounded by water (noun)
Ways to say it
| Danish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ø | [ˈøˀ] (narrow) | common gender |
| holm | common gender | |
| skær | /skɛːˀr/ | common gender |
The word refers to an area of land completely surrounded by water.
Which one should you use?
ø is the general term for any island, regardless of its size. holm refers specifically to a small island, often one found in a river, a lake or near a coast. skær is used for a small, often rocky island or a reef that is barely above the water.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'the island', add the suffix -en to the word to get øen. The plural form of ø is øer, and the definite plural form is øerne. All three forms provided, ø, holm and skær, are common-gender nouns.
Did you know?
- The Danish word skær is related to the verb skære meaning 'to cut'. This describes how these rocky islands look like they have been sliced or sheared out of the sea.
- The word ø is also the name of the letter used to represent that specific vowel sound in the Danish alphabet.
- The English word 'skerry', used to describe a small rocky island, is actually a direct loanword from the Old Norse origin of the Danish word skær.
Examples in context
- Island er en ø.Iceland is an island.This sentence shows how to identify Iceland as an island using ø.Tatoeba #10706265 by danepo, translation #6976445 by Hybrid
- Cypern er en ø.Cyprus is an island.This sentence shows how to identify Cyprus as an island using ø.Tatoeba #10706269 by danepo, translation #6000123 by Hybrid
- Jeg ejer den ø.I own that island.This sentence shows how to express ownership of a specific island using ø.Tatoeba #10706276 by danepo, translation #5881702 by Catriona
- Jeg elsker at besøge en ø i Danmark.I love visiting an island in Denmark.
- Skal vi tage til øen i morgen?Shall we go to the island tomorrow?
- 35 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofie and Lucas are looking at a map of Denmark.
- SofieHvor mange øer er der i Danmark?How many islands are there in Denmark?
- LucasDer er rigtig mange.There are really many.
- SofieEr Sjælland den største ø?Is Zealand the largest island?
- LucasJa, det er den.Yes, it is.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “island” translations and entries ø, holm, skær, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries holm, skær, ø, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
