Pronunciation

How to pronounce “hands

“hands” is pronounced /hændz/ (HANDZ) in American English and /handz/ in British English, and /hænz/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “hands” in one beat

Say it like this

hands

/hændz/

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

1 beat
  1. handshændz
IPA (American)
/hændz/
IPA (British)
/handz/
Also accepted
/hænz/
Respelling
HANDZ
Syllables
1 — hands
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /hændz/ 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

/hændz/

British

/handz/

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

Meaning

What “hands” means

  1. noun

    (with `in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

    my fate is in your hands

  2. noun

    the force of workers available

  3. noun

    the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

    he had the hands of a surgeon

Say it in a sentence

She warmed her hands by the fire after the walk.
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

hands”, answered

How do you pronounce “hands”?

“hands” is pronounced /hændz/ (HANDZ) in American English and /handz/ in British English, and /hænz/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /hændz/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “hands” have?

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

Is “hands” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /hændz/ (HANDZ); British English says /handz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “hands” mean?

As a noun: (with `in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child For example: “my fate is in your hands” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “hands”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “hands” 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.