Pronunciation

How to pronounce “follow

“follow” is pronounced /ˈfɑloʊ/ (FAH-loh) in American English and /fɒləʊ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fol”.
The sound

Say “follow” in 2 beats

Say it like this

follow

/ˈfɑloʊ/

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

2 beats
  1. folstress
  2. lowloʊ
IPA (American)
/ˈfɑloʊ/
IPA (British)
/fɒləʊ/
Respelling
FAH-loh
Syllables
2 — FOL-low
Stress
Stress the first syllable: FOL-low. “fol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈfɑloʊ/

British

/fɒləʊ/

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

Meaning

What “follow” means

  1. verb

    to travel behind, go after, come after

    The ducklings followed their mother around the pond

  2. verb

    be later in time

    Tuesday always follows Monday

  3. verb

    come as a logical consequence; follow logically

    It follows that your assertion is false

Say it in a sentence

Follow the river path and you cannot get lost.
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

follow”, answered

How do you pronounce “follow”?

“follow” is pronounced /ˈfɑloʊ/ (FAH-loh) in American English and /fɒləʊ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fol”. Build it as FOL-low, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “follow” have?

2: fol · low. The beat lands on the first, “fol”.

Is “follow” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈfɑloʊ/ (FAH-loh); British English says /fɒləʊ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “follow” mean?

As a verb: to travel behind, go after, come after For example: “The ducklings followed their mother around the pond” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “follow”?

Stress the first syllable: FOL-low. “fol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “follow” 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.