How to pronounce “calm”
Say “calm” in one beat
calm
/kɑm/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /kɑːm/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- calmkɑm
- IPA (American)
- /kɑm/
- IPA (British)
- /kɑːm/
- Also accepted
- /kɑlm/
- Respelling
- KAHM
- Syllables
- 1 — calm
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɑm/ 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
American and British are not the same here
/kɑm/
/kɑːm/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “calm” goes wrong
- Often heard
“KALM”
the l is silent: KAHM
What “calm” means
- noun
steadiness of mind under stress
“he accepted their problems with composure and she with equanimity”
- noun
wind moving at less than 1 knot; 0 on the Beaufort scale
- verb
make calm or still
“quiet the dragons of worry and fear”
Say it in a sentence
“The sea was calm enough for the ferry to sail on time.”“calm”, answered
How do you pronounce “calm”?
“calm” is pronounced /kɑm/ (KAHM) in American English and /kɑːm/ in British English, and /kɑlm/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɑm/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “calm” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kɑm/ — a single beat.
Is “calm” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /kɑm/ (KAHM); British English says /kɑːm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “calm” mean?
As a noun: steadiness of mind under stress For example: “he accepted their problems with composure and she with equanimity” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “calm”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɑm/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “calm” 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.