Pronunciation

How to pronounce “norm

“norm” is pronounced /nɔɹm/ (NAWRM) in American English and /nɔːm/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “norm” in one beat

Say it like this

norm

/nɔɹm/

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

1 beat
  1. normnɔɹm
IPA (American)
/nɔɹm/
IPA (British)
/nɔːm/
Respelling
NAWRM
Syllables
1 — norm
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nɔɹm/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/nɔɹm/

British

/nɔːm/

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

Meaning

What “norm” means

  1. noun

    a standard or model or pattern regarded as typical

    the current middle-class norm of two children per family

  2. noun

    a statistic describing the location of a distribution

    it set the norm for American homes

Say it in a sentence

Working Saturdays became the norm during the busy season.
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

norm”, answered

How do you pronounce “norm”?

“norm” is pronounced /nɔɹm/ (NAWRM) in American English and /nɔːm/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /nɔɹm/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “norm” have?

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

Is “norm” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /nɔɹm/ (NAWRM); British English says /nɔːm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “norm” mean?

As a noun: a standard or model or pattern regarded as typical For example: “the current middle-class norm of two children per family” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “norm”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “norm” 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.