How to pronounce “lack”
Say “lack” in one beat
lack
/læk/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /lak/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- lacklæk
- IPA (American)
- /læk/
- IPA (British)
- /lak/
- Respelling
- LAK
- Syllables
- 1 — lack
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /læk/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/læk/
/lak/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “lack” means
- noun
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
“there is a serious lack of insight into the problem”
- verb
be without
“This soup lacks salt”
Say it in a sentence
“The delay was caused by a lack of spare parts.”“lack”, answered
How do you pronounce “lack”?
“lack” is pronounced /læk/ (LAK) in American English and /lak/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /læk/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “lack” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /læk/ — a single beat.
Is “lack” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /læk/ (LAK); British English says /lak/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “lack” mean?
As a noun: the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable For example: “there is a serious lack of insight into the problem” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “lack”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /læk/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “lack” 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.