Pronunciation

How to pronounce “cover

“cover” is pronounced /ˈkʌvɚ/ (KU-vuh) in American English and /kʌvə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cov”.
The sound

Say “cover” in 2 beats

Say it like this

cover

/ˈkʌvɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. covstress
  2. er
IPA (American)
/ˈkʌvɚ/
IPA (British)
/kʌvə/
Respelling
KU-vuh
Syllables
2 — COV-er
Stress
Stress the first syllable: COV-er. “cov” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
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

/ˈkʌvɚ/

British

/kʌvə/

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

Meaning

What “cover” means

  1. noun

    a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something

    a screen of trees afforded privacy

  2. noun

    bedding that keeps a person warm in bed

    he pulled the covers over his head and went to sleep

  3. noun

    the act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it

    the cover concealed their guns from enemy aircraft

Say it in a sentence

She used a blanket to cover the plants overnight.
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

cover”, answered

How do you pronounce “cover”?

“cover” is pronounced /ˈkʌvɚ/ (KU-vuh) in American English and /kʌvə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cov”. Build it as COV-er, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “cover” have?

2: cov · er. The beat lands on the first, “cov”.

Is “cover” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkʌvɚ/ (KU-vuh); British English says /kʌvə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “cover” mean?

As a noun: a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something For example: “a screen of trees afforded privacy” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “cover”?

Stress the first syllable: COV-er. “cov” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “cover” 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.