Pronunciation

How to pronounce “caused

“caused” is pronounced /kɑzd/ (KAHZD) in American English and /kɔːzd/ in British English, and /kɔzd/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “caused” in one beat

Say it like this

caused

/kɑzd/

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

1 beat
  1. causedkɑzd
IPA (American)
/kɑzd/
IPA (British)
/kɔːzd/
Also accepted
/kɔzd/
Respelling
KAHZD
Syllables
1 — caused
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɑzd/ 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

/kɑzd/

British

/kɔːzd/

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

Meaning

What “caused” means

  1. verb

    give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

    cause a commotion

  2. verb

    cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner

    The ads induced me to buy a VCR

Say it in a sentence

The heavy rain caused flooding along the riverbank.
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

caused”, answered

How do you pronounce “caused”?

“caused” is pronounced /kɑzd/ (KAHZD) in American English and /kɔːzd/ in British English, and /kɔzd/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɑzd/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “caused” have?

One, despite the 3 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kɑzd/ — a single beat.

Is “caused” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kɑzd/ (KAHZD); British English says /kɔːzd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “caused” mean?

As a verb: give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally For example: “cause a commotion” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “caused”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “caused” 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.