Pronunciation

How to pronounce “once

“once” is pronounced /wʌns/ (WUNS) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “once” in one beat

Say it like this

once

/wʌns/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. oncewʌns
IPA (American)
/wʌns/
IPA (British)
/wʌns/
Respelling
WUNS
Syllables
1 — once
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wʌns/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “once” means

  1. adverb

    on one occasion

    once I ran into her

  2. adverb

    as soon as

    once we are home, we can rest

  3. adverb

    at a previous time

    at one time he loved her

Say it in a sentence

He visits his hometown once a year for the holidays.
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

once”, answered

How do you pronounce “once”?

“once” is pronounced /wʌns/ (WUNS) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wʌns/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “once” have?

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

What does “once” mean?

As an adverb: on one occasion For example: “once I ran into her” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “once”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “once” 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.