How to pronounce “cost”
Say “cost” in one beat
cost
/kɑst/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /kɒst/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- costkɑst
- IPA (American)
- /kɑst/
- IPA (British)
- /kɒst/
- Also accepted
- /kɔst/
- Respelling
- KAHST
- Syllables
- 1 — cost
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɑst/ 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
/kɑst/
/kɒst/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “cost” means
- noun
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
- noun
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
“the fluctuating monetary value of gold and silver”
- noun
value measured by what must be given or done or undergone to obtain something
“the cost in human life was enormous”
Say it in a sentence
“The cost of the repairs was higher than expected.”“cost”, answered
How do you pronounce “cost”?
“cost” is pronounced /kɑst/ (KAHST) in American English and /kɒst/ in British English, and /kɔst/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɑst/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “cost” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kɑst/ — a single beat.
Is “cost” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /kɑst/ (KAHST); British English says /kɒst/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “cost” mean?
As a noun: the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor For example: “The cost of the repairs was higher than expected.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “cost”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɑst/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “cost” 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.