Pronunciation

How to pronounce “gas

“gas” is pronounced /ɡæs/ (GAS) in American English and /ɡas/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “gas” in one beat

Say it like this

gas

/ɡæs/

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

1 beat
  1. gasɡæs
IPA (American)
/ɡæs/
IPA (British)
/ɡas/
Respelling
GAS
Syllables
1 — gas
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ɡæs/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɡæs/

British

/ɡas/

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

Meaning

What “gas” means

  1. noun

    the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity; relatively great expansion and contraction with changes in pressure and temperature; the ability to diffuse readily; and the spontaneous tendency to become distributed uniformly throughout any container

  2. noun

    a fluid in the gaseous state having neither independent shape nor volume and being able to expand indefinitely

  3. noun

    a volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines

Say it in a sentence

He stopped to fill the car with gas before the trip.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 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

gas”, answered

How do you pronounce “gas”?

“gas” is pronounced /ɡæs/ (GAS) in American English and /ɡas/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /ɡæs/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “gas” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /ɡæs/ — a single beat.

Is “gas” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɡæs/ (GAS); British English says /ɡas/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “gas” mean?

As a noun: the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity; relatively great expansion and contraction with changes in pressure and temperature; the ability to diffuse readily; and the spontaneous tendency to become distributed uniformly throughout any container For example: “He stopped to fill the car with gas before the trip.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “gas”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ɡæs/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “gas” 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.