Pronunciation

How to pronounce “honour

“honour” is pronounced /ˈɑnɚ/ (AH-nuh) in American English and /ɒnə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hon”.
The sound

Say “honour” in 2 beats

Say it like this

honour

/ˈɑnɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. honɑstress
  2. our
IPA (American)
/ˈɑnɚ/
IPA (British)
/ɒnə/
Respelling
AH-nuh
Syllables
2 — HON-our
Stress
Stress the first syllable: HON-our. “hon” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɑnɚ/

British

/ɒnə/

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

Meaning

What “honour” means

  1. noun

    the state of being honored

  2. noun

    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

    an award for bravery

  3. noun

    the quality of being honorable and having a good name

    a man of honor

Say it in a sentence

It was an honour to speak at my teacher's retirement dinner.
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

honour”, answered

How do you pronounce “honour”?

“honour” is pronounced /ˈɑnɚ/ (AH-nuh) in American English and /ɒnə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hon”. Build it as HON-our, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “honour” have?

2: hon · our. The beat lands on the first, “hon”.

Is “honour” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɑnɚ/ (AH-nuh); British English says /ɒnə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “honour” mean?

As a noun: the state of being honored For example: “It was an honour to speak at my teacher's retirement dinner.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “honour”?

Stress the first syllable: HON-our. “hon” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “honour” 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.