Pronunciation

How to pronounce “avoid

“avoid” is pronounced /əˈvɔɪd/ (uh-VOYD) in American English and /ɐvɔɪd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “oid”.
The sound

Say “avoid” in 2 beats

Say it like this

avoid

/əˈvɔɪd/

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

2 beats
  1. avə
  2. oidvɔɪdstress
IPA (American)
/əˈvɔɪd/
IPA (British)
/ɐvɔɪd/
Respelling
uh-VOYD
Syllables
2 — av-OID
Stress
Stress the second syllable: av-OID. “oid” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈvɔɪd/

British

/ɐvɔɪd/

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

Meaning

What “avoid” means

  1. verb

    stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

    Her former friends now avoid her

  2. verb

    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

    Let's avoid a confrontation

  3. verb

    refrain from doing something

    She refrains from calling her therapist too often

Say it in a sentence

They left early to avoid the worst of the traffic.
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

avoid”, answered

How do you pronounce “avoid”?

“avoid” is pronounced /əˈvɔɪd/ (uh-VOYD) in American English and /ɐvɔɪd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “oid”. Build it as av-OID, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “avoid” have?

2: av · oid. The beat lands on the second, “oid”.

Is “avoid” said differently in British English?

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

What does “avoid” mean?

As a verb: stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something For example: “Her former friends now avoid her” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “avoid”?

Stress the second syllable: av-OID. “oid” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “avoid” 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.