Pronunciation

How to pronounce “iron

“iron” is pronounced /ˈaɪɚn/ (EYE-urn) in American English and /ˈaɪən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ir”.
The sound

Say “iron” in 2 beats

Say it like this

iron

/ˈaɪɚn/

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

2 beats
  1. irstress
  2. onɚn
IPA (American)
/ˈaɪɚn/
IPA (British)
/ˈaɪən/
Respelling
EYE-urn
Syllables
2 — IR-on
Stress
Stress the first syllable: IR-on. “ir” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈaɪɚn/

British

/ˈaɪən/

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

Watch out

Where “iron” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    EYE-ron

    the r and o swap in speech: EYE-urn

Meaning

What “iron” means

  1. noun

    a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood

  2. noun

    a golf club that has a relatively narrow metal head

  3. noun

    implement used to brand live stock

Say it in a sentence

The old iron gate has not been opened in years.
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

iron”, answered

How do you pronounce “iron”?

“iron” is pronounced /ˈaɪɚn/ (EYE-urn) in American English and /ˈaɪən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ir”. Build it as IR-on, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “iron” have?

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

Is “iron” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈaɪɚn/ (EYE-urn); British English says /ˈaɪən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “iron” mean?

As a noun: a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood For example: “The old iron gate has not been opened in years.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “iron”?

Stress the first syllable: IR-on. “ir” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “iron” 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.