Pronunciation

How to pronounce “outskirts

“outskirts” is pronounced /ˈaʊtˌskɝts/ (OWT-skurts) in American English and /aʊtskɜːts/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “outs”.
The sound

Say “outskirts” in 2 beats

Say it like this

outskirts

/ˈaʊtˌskɝts/

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

2 beats
  1. outsaʊtstress
  2. kirtsskɝts
IPA (American)
/ˈaʊtˌskɝts/
IPA (British)
/aʊtskɜːts/
Respelling
OWT-skurts
Syllables
2 — OUTS-kirts
Stress
Stress the first syllable: OUTS-kirts. “outs” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
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

/ˈaʊtˌskɝts/

British

/aʊtskɜːts/

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

Meaning

What “outskirts” means

  1. noun

    outlying areas (as of a city or town)

    they lived on the outskirts of Houston

  2. noun

    a part of the city far removed from the center

    they built a factory on the outskirts of the city

Say it in a sentence

They live on the outskirts, where the buses run rarely.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

outskirts”, answered

How do you pronounce “outskirts”?

“outskirts” is pronounced /ˈaʊtˌskɝts/ (OWT-skurts) in American English and /aʊtskɜːts/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “outs”. Build it as OUTS-kirts, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “outskirts” have?

2: outs · kirts. The beat lands on the first, “outs”.

Is “outskirts” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈaʊtˌskɝts/ (OWT-skurts); British English says /aʊtskɜːts/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “outskirts” mean?

As a noun: outlying areas (as of a city or town) For example: “they lived on the outskirts of Houston” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “outskirts”?

Stress the first syllable: OUTS-kirts. “outs” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “outskirts” and see every sound

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