Pronunciation

How to pronounce “born

“born” is pronounced /bɔɹn/ (BAWRN) in American English and /bɔːn/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “born” in one beat

Say it like this

born

/bɔɹn/

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

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

American and British are not the same here

American

/bɔɹn/

British

/bɔːn/

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

Meaning

What “born” means

  1. noun

    British nuclear physicist (born in Germany) honored for his contributions to quantum mechanics (1882-1970)

  2. verb

    have

    bear a resemblance

  3. verb

    cause to be born

    My wife had twins yesterday!

Say it in a sentence

She was born in a small village near the coast.
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

born”, answered

How do you pronounce “born”?

“born” is pronounced /bɔɹn/ (BAWRN) in American English and /bɔːn/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /bɔɹn/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “born” have?

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

Is “born” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /bɔɹn/ (BAWRN); British English says /bɔːn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “born” mean?

As a noun: British nuclear physicist (born in Germany) honored for his contributions to quantum mechanics (1882-1970) For example: “She was born in a small village near the coast.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “born”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “born” 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.