How to pronounce “first”
Say “first” in one beat
first
/fɝst/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /fɜːst/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- firstfɝst
- IPA (American)
- /fɝst/
- IPA (British)
- /fɜːst/
- Respelling
- FURST
- Syllables
- 1 — first
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /fɝst/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/fɝst/
/fɜːst/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “first” means
- noun
the first or highest in an ordering or series
“He wanted to be the first”
- noun
the first element in a countable series
“the first of the month”
- noun
the time at which something is supposed to begin
“they got an early start”
Say it in a sentence
“She was the first person to arrive at the office that morning.”“first”, answered
How do you pronounce “first”?
“first” is pronounced /fɝst/ (FURST) in American English and /fɜːst/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /fɝst/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “first” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /fɝst/ — a single beat.
Is “first” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /fɝst/ (FURST); British English says /fɜːst/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “first” mean?
As a noun: the first or highest in an ordering or series For example: “He wanted to be the first” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “first”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /fɝst/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “first” 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.