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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “below”

“below” is pronounced /bɪˈloʊ/ (bi-LOH) in American English and /bɪləʊ/ in British English, and /biˈloʊ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “ow”.
The sound

Say “below” in 2 beats

Say it like this

below

/bɪˈloʊ/

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

2 beats
  1. belbɪ
  2. owloʊstress
IPA (American)
/bɪˈloʊ/
IPA (British)
/bɪləʊ/
Also accepted
/biˈloʊ/
Respelling
bi-LOH
Syllables
2 — bel-OW
Stress
Stress the second syllable: bel-OW. “ow” 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

/bɪˈloʊ/

British

/bɪləʊ/

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

Meaning

What “below” means

  1. adverb

    in or to a place that is lower

  2. adverb

    at a later place

    “see below”

  3. adverb

    (in writing) see below

    “vide infra”

Say it in a sentence

“The valley stretched out far below the mountain trail.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
bbɪshort illoʊlong o

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

Questions

“below”, answered

How do you pronounce “below”?

“below” is pronounced /bɪˈloʊ/ (bi-LOH) in American English and /bɪləʊ/ in British English, and /biˈloʊ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “ow”. Build it as bel-OW, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “below” have?

2: bel · ow. The beat lands on the second, “ow”.

Is “below” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /bɪˈloʊ/ (bi-LOH); British English says /bɪləʊ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “below” mean?

As an adverb: in or to a place that is lower For example: “The valley stretched out far below the mountain trail.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “below”?

Stress the second syllable: bel-OW. “ow” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “below” and see every sound

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