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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “lower”

“lower” is pronounced /ˈloʊɚ/ (LOH-uh) in American English and /ləʊə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “low”.
The sound

Say “lower” in 2 beats

Say it like this

lower

/ˈloʊɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. lowloʊstress
  2. erɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈloʊɚ/
IPA (British)
/ləʊə/
Respelling
LOH-uh
Syllables
2 — LOW-er
Stress
Stress the first syllable: LOW-er. “low” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈloʊɚ/

British

/ləʊə/

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

Meaning

What “lower” means

  1. noun

    the lower of two berths

  2. verb

    move something or somebody to a lower position

    “take down the vase from the shelf”

  3. verb

    set lower

    “lower a rating”

Say it in a sentence

“Prices at the market were lower than she expected.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 sounds, in the order you say them
lloʊlong oɚschwa

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“lower”, answered

How do you pronounce “lower”?

“lower” is pronounced /ˈloʊɚ/ (LOH-uh) in American English and /ləʊə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “low”. Build it as LOW-er, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “lower” have?

2: low · er. The beat lands on the first, “low”.

Is “lower” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈloʊɚ/ (LOH-uh); British English says /ləʊə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “lower” mean?

As a noun: the lower of two berths For example: “Prices at the market were lower than she expected.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “lower”?

Stress the first syllable: LOW-er. “low” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “lower” and see every sound

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