How to pronounce “above”
Say “above” in 2 beats
above
/əˈbʌv/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /əbʌv/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- əə
- bʌvbʌvstress
- IPA (American)
- /əˈbʌv/
- IPA (British)
- /əbʌv/
- Respelling
- uh-BUV
- Syllables
- 2 — ə-BɅV
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ə-BɅV. “bʌv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/əˈbʌv/
/əbʌv/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “above” means
- noun
an earlier section of a written text
“for instructions refer to the above”
- adjective
appearing earlier in the same text
“flaws in the above interpretation”
- adverb
at an earlier place
“see above”
Say it in a sentence
“The plane flew just above the clouds during the storm.”“above”, answered
How do you pronounce “above”?
“above” is pronounced /əˈbʌv/ (uh-BUV) in American English and /əbʌv/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bʌv”. Build it as ə-BɅV, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “above” have?
2: ə · bʌv. The beat lands on the second, “bʌv”.
Is “above” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /əˈbʌv/ (uh-BUV); British English says /əbʌv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “above” mean?
As a noun: an earlier section of a written text For example: “for instructions refer to the above” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “above”?
Stress the second syllable: ə-BɅV. “bʌv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “above” 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.