Pronunciation

How to pronounce “girls

“girls” is pronounced /ɡɝlz/ (GURLZ) in American English and /ɡɜːlz/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “girls” in one beat

Say it like this

girls

/ɡɝlz/

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

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

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɡɝlz/

British

/ɡɜːlz/

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

Meaning

What “girls” means

  1. noun

    a young woman

    a young lady of 18

  2. noun

    a youthful female person

    the baby was a girl

  3. noun

    a female human offspring

    her daughter cared for her in her old age

Say it in a sentence

The girls practiced their routine every afternoon after school.
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

girls”, answered

How do you pronounce “girls”?

“girls” is pronounced /ɡɝlz/ (GURLZ) in American English and /ɡɜːlz/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /ɡɝlz/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “girls” have?

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

Is “girls” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɡɝlz/ (GURLZ); British English says /ɡɜːlz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “girls” mean?

As a noun: a young woman For example: “a young lady of 18” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “girls”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “girls” 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.