Pronunciation

How to pronounce “callous

“callous” is pronounced /ˈkæləs/ (KA-luhs) in American English and /kaləs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cal”.
The sound

Say “callous” in 2 beats

Say it like this

callous

/ˈkæləs/

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

2 beats
  1. calstress
  2. lousləs
IPA (American)
/ˈkæləs/
IPA (British)
/kaləs/
Respelling
KA-luhs
Syllables
2 — CAL-lous
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CAL-lous. “cal” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkæləs/

British

/kaləs/

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

Meaning

What “callous” means

  1. verb

    make insensitive or callous; deaden feelings or morals

  2. adjective

    emotionally hardened

    a callous indifference to suffering

  3. adjective

    having calluses; having skin made tough and thick through wear

    calloused skin

Say it in a sentence

Years on the ward had not made her callous.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

callous”, answered

How do you pronounce “callous”?

“callous” is pronounced /ˈkæləs/ (KA-luhs) in American English and /kaləs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cal”. Build it as CAL-lous, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “callous” have?

2: cal · lous. The beat lands on the first, “cal”.

Is “callous” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkæləs/ (KA-luhs); British English says /kaləs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “callous” mean?

As a verb: make insensitive or callous; deaden feelings or morals For example: “Years on the ward had not made her callous.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “callous”?

Stress the first syllable: CAL-lous. “cal” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “callous” 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.