Pronunciation

How to pronounce “learn

“learn” is pronounced /lɝn/ (LURN) in American English and /lɜːn/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “learn” in one beat

Say it like this

learn

/lɝn/

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

1 beat
  1. learnlɝn
IPA (American)
/lɝn/
IPA (British)
/lɜːn/
Respelling
LURN
Syllables
1 — learn
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /lɝn/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/lɝn/

British

/lɜːn/

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

Meaning

What “learn” means

  1. verb

    gain knowledge or skills

    She learned dancing from her sister

  2. verb

    get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally

    I learned that she has two grown-up children

  3. verb

    commit to memory; learn by heart

    Have you memorized your lines for the play yet?

Say it in a sentence

She wants to learn how to bake bread from scratch.
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

learn”, answered

How do you pronounce “learn”?

“learn” is pronounced /lɝn/ (LURN) in American English and /lɜːn/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /lɝn/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “learn” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /lɝn/ — a single beat.

Is “learn” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /lɝn/ (LURN); British English says /lɜːn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “learn” mean?

As a verb: gain knowledge or skills For example: “She learned dancing from her sister” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “learn”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “learn” 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.