Pronunciation

How to pronounce “lots

“lots” is pronounced /lɑts/ (LAHTS) in American English and /lɒts/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “lots” in one beat

Say it like this

lots

/lɑts/

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

1 beat
  1. lotslɑts
IPA (American)
/lɑts/
IPA (British)
/lɒts/
Respelling
LAHTS
Syllables
1 — lots
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /lɑts/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/lɑts/

British

/lɒts/

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

Meaning

What “lots” means

  1. noun

    a large number or amount

    made lots of new friends

  2. noun

    (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent

    a batch of letters

  3. noun

    a parcel of land having fixed boundaries

    he bought a lot on the lake

Say it in a sentence

There were lots of people waiting outside the bakery.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

lots”, answered

How do you pronounce “lots”?

“lots” is pronounced /lɑts/ (LAHTS) in American English and /lɒts/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /lɑts/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “lots” have?

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

Is “lots” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /lɑts/ (LAHTS); British English says /lɒts/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “lots” mean?

As a noun: a large number or amount For example: “made lots of new friends” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “lots”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “lots” 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.