How to pronounce “clothes”
Say “clothes” in one beat
clothes
/kloʊðz/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /kləʊðz/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- clotheskloʊðz
- IPA (American)
- /kloʊðz/
- IPA (British)
- /kləʊðz/
- Also accepted
- /kloʊz/
- Respelling
- KLOHDHZ
- Syllables
- 1 — clothes
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kloʊðz/ 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
/kloʊðz/
/kləʊðz/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Also accepted
/kloʊz/ — Most native speakers simplify it to sound exactly like close (as in shut the door).Where “clothes” goes wrong
- Often heard
“CLOH-thez”/ˈkloʊðəz/
one syllable, not two: there is no vowel before the final -s
What “clothes” means
- noun
clothing in general
“she was refined in her choice of apparel”
- verb
provide with clothes or put clothes on
“Parents must feed and dress their child”
- verb
furnish with power or authority; of kings or emperors
Say it in a sentence
“He packed warm clothes because the nights get cold in October.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“clothes”, answered
How do you pronounce “clothes”?
“clothes” is pronounced /kloʊðz/ (KLOHDHZ) in American English and /kləʊðz/ in British English, and /kloʊz/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kloʊðz/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “clothes” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kloʊðz/ — a single beat.
Is “clothes” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /kloʊðz/ (KLOHDHZ); British English says /kləʊðz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “clothes” mean?
As a noun: clothing in general For example: “she was refined in her choice of apparel” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “clothes”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kloʊðz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “clothes” 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.