Pronunciation

How to pronounce “should

“should” is pronounced /ʃʊd/ (SHUUD) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “should” in one beat

Say it like this

should

/ʃʊd/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. shouldʃʊd
IPA (American)
/ʃʊd/
IPA (British)
/ʃʊd/
Respelling
SHUUD
Syllables
1 — should
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ʃʊd/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Watch out

Where “should” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    SHOOLD

    the l is silent and the vowel is the short uu of book

Meaning

What “should” means

  1. verb

    used to say what is right, expected or advisable

Say it in a sentence

You should hear back from them before Friday.
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

should”, answered

How do you pronounce “should”?

“should” is pronounced /ʃʊd/ (SHUUD) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /ʃʊd/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “should” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /ʃʊd/ — a single beat.

What does “should” mean?

As a verb: used to say what is right, expected or advisable For example: “You should hear back from them before Friday.”

Where is the stress in “should”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “should” 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.