How to pronounce “back”
Say “back” in one beat
back
/bæk/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /bak/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- backbæk
- IPA (American)
- /bæk/
- IPA (British)
- /bak/
- Respelling
- BAK
- Syllables
- 1 — back
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bæk/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/bæk/
/bak/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “back” means
- noun
the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
“his back was nicely tanned”
- noun
the side that goes last or is not normally seen
“he wrote the date on the back of the photograph”
- noun
the part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer
“he stood at the back of the stage”
Say it in a sentence
“He promised to call her back after the meeting ended.”“back”, answered
How do you pronounce “back”?
“back” is pronounced /bæk/ (BAK) in American English and /bak/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /bæk/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “back” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /bæk/ — a single beat.
Is “back” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /bæk/ (BAK); British English says /bak/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “back” mean?
As a noun: the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine For example: “his back was nicely tanned” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “back”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bæk/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “back” 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.