Pronunciation

How to pronounce “arms

“arms” is pronounced /ɑɹmz/ (AHRMZ) in American English and /ɑːmz/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “arms” in one beat

Say it like this

arms

/ɑɹmz/

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

1 beat
  1. armsɑɹmz
IPA (American)
/ɑɹmz/
IPA (British)
/ɑːmz/
Respelling
AHRMZ
Syllables
1 — arms
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ɑɹmz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɑɹmz/

British

/ɑːmz/

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

Meaning

What “arms” means

  1. noun

    weapons considered collectively

  2. noun

    the official symbols of a family, state, etc.

  3. noun

    a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

Say it in a sentence

She wrapped her arms around the cold cup of tea.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

arms”, answered

How do you pronounce “arms”?

“arms” is pronounced /ɑɹmz/ (AHRMZ) in American English and /ɑːmz/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /ɑɹmz/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “arms” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /ɑɹmz/ — a single beat.

Is “arms” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɑɹmz/ (AHRMZ); British English says /ɑːmz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “arms” mean?

As a noun: weapons considered collectively For example: “She wrapped her arms around the cold cup of tea.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “arms”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ɑɹmz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “arms” 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.