Pronunciation

How to pronounce “john

“john” is pronounced /dʒɑn/ (JAHN) in American English and /dʒɒn/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “john” in one beat

Say it like this

john

/dʒɑn/

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

1 beat
  1. johndʒɑn
IPA (American)
/dʒɑn/
IPA (British)
/dʒɒn/
Respelling
JAHN
Syllables
1 — john
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /dʒɑn/ 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

/dʒɑn/

British

/dʒɒn/

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

Meaning

What “john” means

  1. noun

    a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

  2. noun

    youngest son of Henry II; King of England from 1199 to 1216; succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother Richard I; lost his French possessions; in 1215 John was compelled by the barons to sign the Magna Carta (1167-1216)

  3. noun

    (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally said to be the author of the 4th Gospel and three epistles and the book of Revelation

Say it in a sentence

There's a john just down the hall if you need it.
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

john”, answered

How do you pronounce “john”?

“john” is pronounced /dʒɑn/ (JAHN) in American English and /dʒɒn/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /dʒɑn/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “john” have?

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

Is “john” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dʒɑn/ (JAHN); British English says /dʒɒn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “john” mean?

As a noun: a room or building equipped with one or more toilets For example: “There's a john just down the hall if you need it.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “john”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “john” 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.