How to pronounce “not”
Say “not” in one beat
not
/nɑt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /nɒt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- notnɑt
- IPA (American)
- /nɑt/
- IPA (British)
- /nɒt/
- Respelling
- NAHT
- Syllables
- 1 — not
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nɑt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/nɑt/
/nɒt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “not” means
- adverb
negation of a word or group of words
“he does not speak French”
Say it in a sentence
“I will not be able to attend the meeting tomorrow.”“not”, answered
How do you pronounce “not”?
“not” is pronounced /nɑt/ (NAHT) in American English and /nɒt/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /nɑt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “not” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /nɑt/ — a single beat.
Is “not” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /nɑt/ (NAHT); British English says /nɒt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “not” mean?
As an adverb: negation of a word or group of words For example: “he does not speak French”
Where is the stress in “not”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nɑt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “not” 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.