How to pronounce “law”
Say “law” in one beat
law
/lɔ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /lɔː/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- lawlɔ
- IPA (American)
- /lɔ/
- IPA (British)
- /lɔː/
- Also accepted
- /lɑ/
- Respelling
- LAW
- Syllables
- 1 — law
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /lɔ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/lɔ/
/lɔː/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “law” means
- noun
the collection of rules imposed by authority
“civilization presupposes respect for the law”
- noun
legal document setting forth rules governing a particular kind of activity
“there is a law against kidnapping”
- noun
a rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society
Say it in a sentence
“She studied law for three years before switching to journalism.”“law”, answered
How do you pronounce “law”?
“law” is pronounced /lɔ/ (LAW) in American English and /lɔː/ in British English, and /lɑ/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /lɔ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “law” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /lɔ/ — a single beat.
Is “law” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /lɔ/ (LAW); British English says /lɔː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “law” mean?
As a noun: the collection of rules imposed by authority For example: “civilization presupposes respect for the law” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “law”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /lɔ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “law” 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.