Pronunciation

How to pronounce “shot

“shot” is pronounced /ʃɑt/ (SHAHT) in American English and /ʃɒt/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “shot” in one beat

Say it like this

shot

/ʃɑt/

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

1 beat
  1. shotʃɑt
IPA (American)
/ʃɑt/
IPA (British)
/ʃɒt/
Respelling
SHAHT
Syllables
1 — shot
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ʃɑt/ 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

/ʃɑt/

British

/ʃɒt/

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

Meaning

What “shot” means

  1. noun

    the act of firing a projectile

    his shooting was slow but accurate

  2. noun

    a solid missile discharged from a firearm

    the shot buzzed past his ear

  3. noun

    (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand

    it took two strokes to get out of the bunker

Say it in a sentence

He took a great shot of the sunset over the bay.
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

shot”, answered

How do you pronounce “shot”?

“shot” is pronounced /ʃɑt/ (SHAHT) in American English and /ʃɒt/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /ʃɑt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “shot” have?

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

Is “shot” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ʃɑt/ (SHAHT); British English says /ʃɒt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “shot” mean?

As a noun: the act of firing a projectile For example: “his shooting was slow but accurate” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “shot”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “shot” 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.