How to pronounce “focus”
Say “focus” in 2 beats
focus
/ˈfoʊkəs/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /fəʊkəs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- focfoʊstress
- uskəs
- IPA (American)
- /ˈfoʊkəs/
- IPA (British)
- /fəʊkəs/
- Also accepted
- /ˈfoʊkɪs/
- Respelling
- FOH-kuhs
- Syllables
- 2 — FOC-us
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: FOC-us. “foc” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˈfoʊkəs/
/fəʊkəs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “focus” means
- noun
the concentration of attention or energy on something
“the focus of activity shifted to molecular biology”
- noun
maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system
“in focus”
- noun
maximum clarity or distinctness of an idea
“the controversy brought clearly into focus an important difference of opinion”
Say it in a sentence
“Her focus during the last mile was quite remarkable.”“focus”, answered
How do you pronounce “focus”?
“focus” is pronounced /ˈfoʊkəs/ (FOH-kuhs) in American English and /fəʊkəs/ in British English, and /ˈfoʊkɪs/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “foc”. Build it as FOC-us, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “focus” have?
2: foc · us. The beat lands on the first, “foc”.
Is “focus” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈfoʊkəs/ (FOH-kuhs); British English says /fəʊkəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “focus” mean?
As a noun: the concentration of attention or energy on something For example: “the focus of activity shifted to molecular biology” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “focus”?
Stress the first syllable: FOC-us. “foc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “focus” 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.