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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “okay”

“okay” is pronounced /ˌoʊˈkeɪ/ (oh-KAY) in American English and /əʊkeɪ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ay”.
The sound

Say “okay” in 2 beats

Say it like this

okay

/ˌoʊˈkeɪ/

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

2 beats
  1. okoʊ
  2. aykeɪstress
IPA (American)
/ˌoʊˈkeɪ/
IPA (British)
/əʊkeɪ/
Respelling
oh-KAY
Syllables
2 — ok-AY
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ok-AY. “ay” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌoʊˈkeɪ/

British

/əʊkeɪ/

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

Meaning

What “okay” means

  1. noun

    an endorsement

    “they gave us the O.K. to go ahead”

  2. verb

    give sanction to

    “I approve of his educational policies”

  3. adjective

    being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

    “an all-right movie”

Say it in a sentence

“She said the plan sounded okay to everyone at the table.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 sounds, in the order you say them
oʊlong okkeɪlong a

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“okay”, answered

How do you pronounce “okay”?

“okay” is pronounced /ˌoʊˈkeɪ/ (oh-KAY) in American English and /əʊkeɪ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ay”. Build it as ok-AY, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “okay” have?

2: ok · ay. The beat lands on the second, “ay”.

Is “okay” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌoʊˈkeɪ/ (oh-KAY); British English says /əʊkeɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “okay” mean?

As a noun: an endorsement For example: “they gave us the O.K. to go ahead” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “okay”?

Stress the second syllable: ok-AY. “ay” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “okay” 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.

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