pho

noun

ˈfə 

ˈfō

: a soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles

Did you know?

Pho, which first appeared in print in English in 1935, was borrowed from a Vietnamese word which was spelled phở. English speakers replaced the vowel with "o" but preserved the pronunciation as "fuh," rather than "foh." Another Vietnamese food word that was borrowed into English is nuoc mam, which refers to a type of fish sauce that is fermented in brine. In that case as well, the original Vietnamese word had accent marks that were lost on the journey into English. Nuoc mam was recorded in English just a few years before pho arrived.

Examples of pho in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pho at PHOnomenal is aptly named and worth the wait in line. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025

Warm up with ramen or curry at Nawa; or try the pho or banh mi at the aptly named Banh Mi Pho Shop. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Midwest Living, 29 Dec. 2025

Having at least one bowl of pho is all but required during your visit, and my go-to is Pho 79. —Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 26 Dec. 2025

The menu includes dishes like a Thai spicy beef with basil, a Chilean sea bass served with Thai green curry and a lobster macadamia nut sushi roll, as well as dumplings, pho and spicy noodles. —Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Vietnamese phở

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

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