Pronunciation

How to pronounce “court

“court” is pronounced /kɔɹt/ (KAWRT) in American English and /kɔːt/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “court” in one beat

Say it like this

court

/kɔɹt/

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

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

American and British are not the same here

American

/kɔɹt/

British

/kɔːt/

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

Meaning

What “court” means

  1. noun

    an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

  2. noun

    a room in which a lawcourt sits

    television cameras were admitted in the courtroom

  3. noun

    the sovereign and his advisers who are the governing power of a state

Say it in a sentence

The lawyer presented the evidence to the court this morning.
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

court”, answered

How do you pronounce “court”?

“court” is pronounced /kɔɹt/ (KAWRT) in American English and /kɔːt/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɔɹt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “court” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kɔɹt/ — a single beat.

Is “court” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kɔɹt/ (KAWRT); British English says /kɔːt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “court” mean?

As a noun: an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business For example: “The lawyer presented the evidence to the court this morning.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “court”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “court” 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.