How to pronounce “pause”
Say “pause” in one beat
pause
/pɔz/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pɔːz/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- pausepɔz
- IPA (American)
- /pɔz/
- IPA (British)
- /pɔːz/
- Respelling
- PAWZ
- Syllables
- 1 — pause
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /pɔz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/pɔz/
/pɔːz/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “pause” means
- noun
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
- noun
temporary inactivity
- verb
interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
“The speaker paused”
Say it in a sentence
“A short pause before the answer sounds thoughtful, not slow.”“pause”, answered
How do you pronounce “pause”?
“pause” is pronounced /pɔz/ (PAWZ) in American English and /pɔːz/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /pɔz/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “pause” have?
One, despite the 3 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /pɔz/ — a single beat.
Is “pause” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /pɔz/ (PAWZ); British English says /pɔːz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “pause” mean?
As a noun: a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something For example: “A short pause before the answer sounds thoughtful, not slow.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “pause”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /pɔz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “pause” 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.