Pronunciation

How to pronounce “most

“most” is pronounced /moʊst/ (MOHST) in American English and /məʊst/ in British English, and /moʊs/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “most” in one beat

Say it like this

most

/moʊst/

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

1 beat
  1. mostmoʊst
IPA (American)
/moʊst/
IPA (British)
/məʊst/
Also accepted
/moʊs/
Respelling
MOHST
Syllables
1 — most
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /moʊst/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/moʊst/

British

/məʊst/

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

Meaning

What “most” means

  1. adjective

    (superlative of `many' used with count nouns and often preceded by `the') quantifier meaning the greatest in number

    who has the most apples?

  2. adjective

    the superlative of `much' that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by `the'; a quantifier meaning the greatest in amount or extent or degree

    made the most money he could

  3. adverb

    used to form the superlative

    the king cobra is the most dangerous snake

Say it in a sentence

Most of the guests had already left by midnight.
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

most”, answered

How do you pronounce “most”?

“most” is pronounced /moʊst/ (MOHST) in American English and /məʊst/ in British English, and /moʊs/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /moʊst/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “most” have?

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

Is “most” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /moʊst/ (MOHST); British English says /məʊst/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “most” mean?

As an adjective: (superlative of `many' used with count nouns and often preceded by `the') quantifier meaning the greatest in number For example: “who has the most apples?” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “most”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “most” 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.