Pronunciation

How to pronounce “called

“called” is pronounced /kɔld/ (KAWLD) in American English and /kɔːld/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “called” in one beat

Say it like this

called

/kɔld/

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

1 beat
  1. calledkɔld
IPA (American)
/kɔld/
IPA (British)
/kɔːld/
Respelling
KAWLD
Syllables
1 — called
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɔld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/kɔld/

British

/kɔːld/

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

Meaning

What “called” means

  1. verb

    assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

    They named their son David

  2. verb

    ascribe a quality to or give a name of a common noun that reflects a quality

    He called me a bastard

  3. verb

    get or try to get into communication (with someone) by telephone

    I tried to call you all night

Say it in a sentence

He called his sister as soon as he landed.
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

called”, answered

How do you pronounce “called”?

“called” is pronounced /kɔld/ (KAWLD) in American English and /kɔːld/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɔld/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “called” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kɔld/ — a single beat.

Is “called” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kɔld/ (KAWLD); British English says /kɔːld/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “called” mean?

As a verb: assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to For example: “They named their son David” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “called”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “called” 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.