How to pronounce “about”
Say “about” in 2 beats
about
/əˈbaʊt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɐbaʊt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- abə
- outbaʊtstress
- IPA (American)
- /əˈbaʊt/
- IPA (British)
- /ɐbaʊt/
- Respelling
- uh-BOWT
- Syllables
- 2 — ab-OUT
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ab-OUT. “out” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/əˈbaʊt/
/ɐbaʊt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “about” means
- adjective
on the move
“up and about”
- adverb
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
“lasted approximately an hour”
- adverb
all around or on all sides
“dirty clothes lying around (or about)”
Say it in a sentence
“The lecture lasted about an hour and covered several topics.”“about”, answered
How do you pronounce “about”?
“about” is pronounced /əˈbaʊt/ (uh-BOWT) in American English and /ɐbaʊt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “out”. Build it as ab-OUT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “about” have?
2: ab · out. The beat lands on the second, “out”.
Is “about” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /əˈbaʊt/ (uh-BOWT); British English says /ɐbaʊt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “about” mean?
As an adjective: on the move For example: “up and about” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “about”?
Stress the second syllable: ab-OUT. “out” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “about” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.