How to pronounce “own”
Say “own” in one beat
own
/oʊn/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /əʊn/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ownoʊn
- IPA (American)
- /oʊn/
- IPA (British)
- /əʊn/
- Respelling
- OHN
- Syllables
- 1 — own
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /oʊn/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/oʊn/
/əʊn/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “own” means
- verb
have ownership or possession of
“He owns three houses in Florida”
- adjective
belonging to or on behalf of a specified person (especially yourself); preceded by a possessive
“for your own use”
Say it in a sentence
“He prefers to fix the car on his own.”“own”, answered
How do you pronounce “own”?
“own” is pronounced /oʊn/ (OHN) in American English and /əʊn/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /oʊn/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “own” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /oʊn/ — a single beat.
Is “own” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /oʊn/ (OHN); British English says /əʊn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “own” mean?
As a verb: have ownership or possession of For example: “He owns three houses in Florida” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “own”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /oʊn/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “own” 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.