Pronunciation

How to pronounce “pass

“pass” is pronounced /pæs/ (PAS) in American English and /pas/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “pass” in one beat

Say it like this

pass

/pæs/

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

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

American and British are not the same here

American

/pæs/

British

/pas/

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

Meaning

What “pass” means

  1. noun

    (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls

    he worked the pitcher for a base on balls

  2. noun

    (military) a written leave of absence

    he had a pass for three days

  3. noun

    (American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

    the coach sent in a passing play on third and long

Say it in a sentence

She asked the waiter to pass the salt across the table.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 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

pass”, answered

How do you pronounce “pass”?

“pass” is pronounced /pæs/ (PAS) in American English and /pas/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /pæs/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “pass” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /pæs/ — a single beat.

Is “pass” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /pæs/ (PAS); British English says /pas/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “pass” mean?

As a noun: (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls For example: “he worked the pitcher for a base on balls” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “pass”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “pass” 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.