Pronunciation

How to pronounce “notes

“notes” is pronounced /noʊts/ (NOHTS) in American English and /nəʊts/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “notes” in one beat

Say it like this

notes

/noʊts/

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

1 beat
  1. notesnoʊts
IPA (American)
/noʊts/
IPA (British)
/nəʊts/
Respelling
NOHTS
Syllables
1 — notes
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /noʊts/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/noʊts/

British

/nəʊts/

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

Meaning

What “notes” means

  1. noun

    a brief written record

    he made a note of the appointment

  2. noun

    a short personal letter

    drop me a line when you get there

  3. noun

    a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound

    the singer held the note too long

Say it in a sentence

She took careful notes during the long lecture.
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

notes”, answered

How do you pronounce “notes”?

“notes” is pronounced /noʊts/ (NOHTS) in American English and /nəʊts/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /noʊts/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “notes” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /noʊts/ — a single beat.

Is “notes” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /noʊts/ (NOHTS); British English says /nəʊts/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “notes” mean?

As a noun: a brief written record For example: “he made a note of the appointment” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “notes”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “notes” 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.