How to pronounce “mostly”
Say “mostly” in 2 beats
mostly
/ˈmoʊstli/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /məʊstli/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- mostmoʊststress
- lyli
- IPA (American)
- /ˈmoʊstli/
- IPA (British)
- /məʊstli/
- Also accepted
- /ˈmoʊsli/
- Respelling
- MOHST-lee
- Syllables
- 2 — MOST-ly
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: MOST-ly. “most” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈmoʊstli/
/məʊstli/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “mostly” means
- adverb
in large part; mainly or chiefly
“These accounts are largely inactive”
- adverb
usually; as a rule
“by and large it doesn't rain much here”
Say it in a sentence
“The weekend was mostly spent relaxing by the pool.”“mostly”, answered
How do you pronounce “mostly”?
“mostly” is pronounced /ˈmoʊstli/ (MOHST-lee) in American English and /məʊstli/ in British English, and /ˈmoʊsli/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “most”. Build it as MOST-ly, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “mostly” have?
2: most · ly. The beat lands on the first, “most”.
Is “mostly” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈmoʊstli/ (MOHST-lee); British English says /məʊstli/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “mostly” mean?
As an adverb: in large part; mainly or chiefly For example: “These accounts are largely inactive” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “mostly”?
Stress the first syllable: MOST-ly. “most” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “mostly” 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.