Pronunciation

How to pronounce “draft

“draft” is pronounced /dɹæft/ (DRAFT) in American English and /dɹaft/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “draft” in one beat

Say it like this

draft

/dɹæft/

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

1 beat
  1. draftdɹæft
IPA (American)
/dɹæft/
IPA (British)
/dɹaft/
Respelling
DRAFT
Syllables
1 — draft
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /dɹæft/ 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

/dɹæft/

British

/dɹaft/

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

Meaning

What “draft” means

  1. noun

    a document ordering the payment of money; drawn by one person or bank on another

  2. noun

    a current of air (usually coming into a chimney or room or vehicle)

  3. noun

    a preliminary sketch of a design or picture

Say it in a sentence

The first draft is always worse than you expect.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

draft”, answered

How do you pronounce “draft”?

“draft” is pronounced /dɹæft/ (DRAFT) in American English and /dɹaft/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /dɹæft/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “draft” have?

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

Is “draft” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dɹæft/ (DRAFT); British English says /dɹaft/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “draft” mean?

As a noun: a document ordering the payment of money; drawn by one person or bank on another For example: “The first draft is always worse than you expect.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “draft”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “draft” 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.