Pronunciation

How to pronounce “foster

“foster” is pronounced /ˈfɑstɚ/ (FAH-stuh) in American English and /fɒstə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fos”.
The sound

Say “foster” in 2 beats

Say it like this

foster

/ˈfɑstɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. fosstress
  2. terstɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈfɑstɚ/
IPA (British)
/fɒstə/
Respelling
FAH-stuh
Syllables
2 — FOS-ter
Stress
Stress the first syllable: FOS-ter. “fos” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈfɑstɚ/

British

/fɒstə/

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

Meaning

What “foster” means

  1. noun

    United States songwriter whose songs embody the sentiment of the South before the American Civil War (1826-1864)

  2. verb

    promote the growth of

    Foster our children's well-being and education

  3. verb

    bring up under fosterage; of children

Say it in a sentence

They agreed to foster two children from the next village.
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

foster”, answered

How do you pronounce “foster”?

“foster” is pronounced /ˈfɑstɚ/ (FAH-stuh) in American English and /fɒstə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fos”. Build it as FOS-ter, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “foster” have?

2: fos · ter. The beat lands on the first, “fos”.

Is “foster” said differently in British English?

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

What does “foster” mean?

As a noun: United States songwriter whose songs embody the sentiment of the South before the American Civil War (1826-1864) For example: “They agreed to foster two children from the next village.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “foster”?

Stress the first syllable: FOS-ter. “fos” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “foster” 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.