Pronunciation

How to pronounce “cross

“cross” is pronounced /kɹɔs/ (KRAWS) in American English and /kɹɒs/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “cross” in one beat

Say it like this

cross

/kɹɔs/

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

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

American and British are not the same here

American

/kɹɔs/

British

/kɹɒs/

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

Meaning

What “cross” means

  1. noun

    a wooden structure consisting of an upright post with a transverse piece

  2. noun

    a marking that consists of lines that cross each other

  3. noun

    a representation of the structure on which Jesus was crucified; used as an emblem of Christianity or in heraldry

Say it in a sentence

She learned to cross the busy street carefully as a child.
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

cross”, answered

How do you pronounce “cross”?

“cross” is pronounced /kɹɔs/ (KRAWS) in American English and /kɹɒs/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɹɔs/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “cross” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kɹɔs/ — a single beat.

Is “cross” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kɹɔs/ (KRAWS); British English says /kɹɒs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “cross” mean?

As a noun: a wooden structure consisting of an upright post with a transverse piece For example: “She learned to cross the busy street carefully as a child.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “cross”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “cross” 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.