How to pronounce “gnaw”
Say “gnaw” in one beat
gnaw
/nɔ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /nɔː/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- gnawnɔ
- IPA (American)
- /nɔ/
- IPA (British)
- /nɔː/
- Respelling
- NAW
- Syllables
- 1 — gnaw
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nɔ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/nɔ/
/nɔː/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “gnaw” means
- verb
bite or chew on with the teeth
“gnaw an old cracker”
- verb
become ground down or deteriorate
“Her confidence eroded”
Say it in a sentence
“Mice gnaw through the sacks if you leave them on the floor.”“gnaw”, answered
How do you pronounce “gnaw”?
“gnaw” is pronounced /nɔ/ (NAW) in American English and /nɔː/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /nɔ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “gnaw” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /nɔ/ — a single beat.
Is “gnaw” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /nɔ/ (NAW); British English says /nɔː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “gnaw” mean?
As a verb: bite or chew on with the teeth For example: “gnaw an old cracker” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “gnaw”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nɔ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “gnaw” 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.