Pronunciation

How to pronounce “famous

“famous” is pronounced /ˈfeɪməs/ (FAY-muhs) in American English and /feɪməs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fam”.
The sound

Say “famous” in 2 beats

Say it like this

famous

/ˈfeɪməs/

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

2 beats
  1. famfeɪstress
  2. ousməs
IPA (American)
/ˈfeɪməs/
IPA (British)
/feɪməs/
Respelling
FAY-muhs
Syllables
2 — FAM-ous
Stress
Stress the first syllable: FAM-ous. “fam” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈfeɪməs/

British

/feɪməs/

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

Meaning

What “famous” means

  1. adjective

    widely known and esteemed

    a famous actor

Say it in a sentence

The bakery became famous for its sourdough bread.
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

famous”, answered

How do you pronounce “famous”?

“famous” is pronounced /ˈfeɪməs/ (FAY-muhs) in American English and /feɪməs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fam”. Build it as FAM-ous, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “famous” have?

2: fam · ous. The beat lands on the first, “fam”.

Is “famous” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈfeɪməs/ (FAY-muhs); British English says /feɪməs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “famous” mean?

As an adjective: widely known and esteemed For example: “a famous actor”

Where is the stress in “famous”?

Stress the first syllable: FAM-ous. “fam” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “famous” 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.