Pronunciation

How to pronounce “course

“course” is pronounced /kɔɹs/ (KAWRS) in American English and /kɔːs/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “course” in one beat

Say it like this

course

/kɔɹs/

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

1 beat
  1. coursekɔɹs
IPA (American)
/kɔɹs/
IPA (British)
/kɔːs/
Respelling
KAWRS
Syllables
1 — course
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɔɹs/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/kɔɹs/

British

/kɔːs/

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

Meaning

What “course” means

  1. noun

    education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

    he took a course in basket weaving

  2. noun

    a connected series of events or actions or developments

    the government took a firm course

  3. noun

    general line of orientation

    the river takes a southern course

Say it in a sentence

The cooking course meets twice a week in the evening.
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

course”, answered

How do you pronounce “course”?

“course” is pronounced /kɔɹs/ (KAWRS) in American English and /kɔːs/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɔɹs/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “course” have?

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

Is “course” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kɔɹs/ (KAWRS); British English says /kɔːs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “course” mean?

As a noun: education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings For example: “he took a course in basket weaving” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “course”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “course” 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.