How to pronounce “saw”
Say “saw” in one beat
saw
/sɔ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɔː/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- sawsɔ
- IPA (American)
- /sɔ/
- IPA (British)
- /sɔː/
- Respelling
- SAW
- Syllables
- 1 — saw
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɔ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/sɔ/
/sɔː/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “saw” means
- noun
a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
- noun
hand tool having a toothed blade for cutting
- noun
a power tool for cutting wood
Say it in a sentence
“He saw the whole thing happen from his kitchen window.”“saw”, answered
How do you pronounce “saw”?
“saw” is pronounced /sɔ/ (SAW) in American English and /sɔː/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /sɔ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “saw” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /sɔ/ — a single beat.
Is “saw” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /sɔ/ (SAW); British English says /sɔː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “saw” mean?
As a noun: a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people For example: “He saw the whole thing happen from his kitchen window.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “saw”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɔ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “saw” 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.