Pronunciation

How to pronounce “pro

“pro” is pronounced /pɹoʊ/ (PROH) in American English and /pɹəʊ/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “pro” in one beat

Say it like this

pro

/pɹoʊ/

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

1 beat
  1. propɹoʊ
IPA (American)
/pɹoʊ/
IPA (British)
/pɹəʊ/
Respelling
PROH
Syllables
1 — pro
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /pɹoʊ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/pɹoʊ/

British

/pɹəʊ/

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

Meaning

What “pro” means

  1. noun

    an athlete who plays for pay

  2. noun

    an argument in favor of a proposal

  3. adjective

    in favor of (an action or proposal etc.)

    a pro vote

Say it in a sentence

He turned pro in tennis shortly after finishing university.
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

pro”, answered

How do you pronounce “pro”?

“pro” is pronounced /pɹoʊ/ (PROH) in American English and /pɹəʊ/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /pɹoʊ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “pro” have?

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

Is “pro” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /pɹoʊ/ (PROH); British English says /pɹəʊ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “pro” mean?

As a noun: an athlete who plays for pay For example: “He turned pro in tennis shortly after finishing university.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “pro”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “pro” 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.