Pronunciation

How to pronounce “route

“route” is pronounced /ɹut/ (ROOT) in American English and /ɹuːt/ in British English, and /ɹaʊt/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “route” in one beat

Say it like this

route

/ɹut/

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

1 beat
  1. routeɹut
IPA (American)
/ɹut/
IPA (British)
/ɹuːt/
Also accepted
/ɹaʊt/
Respelling
ROOT (also ROWT)
Syllables
1 — route
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ɹut/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɹaʊt/

Many American speakers say ROWT, rhyming with out, especially for roads.

British

/ɹuːt/

British English almost always says ROOT.

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

Also accepted

/ɹaʊt/
Watch out

Where “route” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    ROWT in British English

    not wrong in America, but ROOT is expected in the UK, Ireland and Australia

Meaning

What “route” means

  1. noun

    an established line of travel or access

  2. noun

    an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

  3. verb

    send documents or materials to appropriate destinations

Say it in a sentence

We took the coastal route because the motorway was closed.
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

route”, answered

How do you pronounce “route”?

“route” is pronounced /ɹut/ (ROOT) in American English and /ɹuːt/ in British English, and /ɹaʊt/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /ɹut/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “route” have?

One, despite the 3 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /ɹut/ — a single beat.

Is “route” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɹut/ (ROOT); British English says /ɹuːt/. British English almost always says ROOT. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “route” mean?

As a noun: an established line of travel or access For example: “We took the coastal route because the motorway was closed.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “route”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “route” 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.