How to pronounce “both”
Say “both” in one beat
both
/boʊθ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /bəʊθ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- bothboʊθ
- IPA (American)
- /boʊθ/
- IPA (British)
- /bəʊθ/
- Respelling
- BOHTH
- Syllables
- 1 — both
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /boʊθ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/boʊθ/
/bəʊθ/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “both” means
- adjective
(used with count nouns) two considered together; the two
“both girls are pretty”
Say it in a sentence
“Both of the children fell asleep during the car ride.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“both”, answered
How do you pronounce “both”?
“both” is pronounced /boʊθ/ (BOHTH) in American English and /bəʊθ/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /boʊθ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “both” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /boʊθ/ — a single beat.
Is “both” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /boʊθ/ (BOHTH); British English says /bəʊθ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “both” mean?
As an adjective: (used with count nouns) two considered together; the two For example: “both girls are pretty”
Where is the stress in “both”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /boʊθ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “both” 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.