How to pronounce “cat”
Say “cat” in one beat
cat
/kæt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /kat/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- catkæt
- IPA (American)
- /kæt/
- IPA (British)
- /kat/
- Respelling
- KAT
- Syllables
- 1 — cat
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kæt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/kæt/
/kat/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “cat” means
- noun
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
- noun
an informal term for a youth or man
“a nice guy”
- noun
a spiteful woman gossip
“what a cat she is!”
Say it in a sentence
“The cat curled up on the windowsill in the afternoon sun.”“cat”, answered
How do you pronounce “cat”?
“cat” is pronounced /kæt/ (KAT) in American English and /kat/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kæt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “cat” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kæt/ — a single beat.
Is “cat” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /kæt/ (KAT); British English says /kat/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “cat” mean?
As a noun: feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats For example: “The cat curled up on the windowsill in the afternoon sun.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “cat”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kæt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “cat” 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.