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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “across”

“across” is pronounced /əˈkɹɔs/ (uh-KRAWS) in American English and /əkɹɒs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ross”.
The sound

Say “across” in 2 beats

Say it like this

across

/əˈkɹɔs/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /əkɹɒs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. acə
  2. rosskɹɔsstress
IPA (American)
/əˈkɹɔs/
IPA (British)
/əkɹɒs/
Respelling
uh-KRAWS
Syllables
2 — ac-ROSS
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ac-ROSS. “ross” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈkɹɔs/

British

/əkɹɒs/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “across” means

  1. adverb

    to the opposite side

    “the football field was 300 feet across”

  2. adverb

    transversely

    “the marble slabs were cut across”

Say it in a sentence

“They walked across the old bridge to reach the village.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
əschwakkɹrɔawss

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“across”, answered

How do you pronounce “across”?

“across” is pronounced /əˈkɹɔs/ (uh-KRAWS) in American English and /əkɹɒs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ross”. Build it as ac-ROSS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “across” have?

2: ac · ross. The beat lands on the second, “ross”.

Is “across” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈkɹɔs/ (uh-KRAWS); British English says /əkɹɒs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “across” mean?

As an adverb: to the opposite side For example: “the football field was 300 feet across” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “across”?

Stress the second syllable: ac-ROSS. “ross” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “across” and see every sound

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