How to pronounce “awkward”
Say “awkward” in 2 beats
awkward
/ˈɑkwɚd/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɔːkwəd/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- awkɑstress
- wardkwɚd
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɑkwɚd/
- IPA (British)
- /ɔːkwəd/
- Also accepted
- /ˈɔkwɚd/
- Respelling
- AH-kwuhd
- Syllables
- 2 — AWK-ward
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: AWK-ward. “awk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɑkwɚd/
/ɔːkwəd/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “awkward” means
- adjective
causing inconvenience
“they arrived at an awkward time”
- adjective
lacking grace or skill in manner or movement or performance
“an awkward dancer”
- adjective
difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape
“an awkward bundle to carry”
Say it in a sentence
“There was an awkward pause before anyone answered the question.”“awkward”, answered
How do you pronounce “awkward”?
“awkward” is pronounced /ˈɑkwɚd/ (AH-kwuhd) in American English and /ɔːkwəd/ in British English, and /ˈɔkwɚd/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “awk”. Build it as AWK-ward, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “awkward” have?
2: awk · ward. The beat lands on the first, “awk”.
Is “awkward” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɑkwɚd/ (AH-kwuhd); British English says /ɔːkwəd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “awkward” mean?
As an adjective: causing inconvenience For example: “they arrived at an awkward time” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “awkward”?
Stress the first syllable: AWK-ward. “awk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “awkward” 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.