Pronunciation

How to pronounce “solemn

“solemn” is pronounced /ˈsɑləm/ (SOL-uhm) in American English and /ˈsɒləm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sol”.
The sound

Say “solemn” in 2 beats

Say it like this

solemn

/ˈsɑləm/

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

2 beats
  1. solstress
  2. emnləm
IPA (American)
/ˈsɑləm/
IPA (British)
/ˈsɒləm/
Respelling
SOL-uhm
Syllables
2 — SOL-emn
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SOL-emn. “sol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɑləm/

British

/ˈsɒləm/

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

Watch out

Where “solemn” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    SOL-em-n

    the final n is silent: SOL-uhm

Meaning

What “solemn” means

  1. adjective

    dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises

    a grave God-fearing man

  2. adjective

    characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions

    both sides were deeply in earnest, even passionate

Say it in a sentence

The room went solemn the moment the letter was read aloud.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

solemn”, answered

How do you pronounce “solemn”?

“solemn” is pronounced /ˈsɑləm/ (SOL-uhm) in American English and /ˈsɒləm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sol”. Build it as SOL-emn, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “solemn” have?

2: sol · emn. The beat lands on the first, “sol”. Read letter by letter it looks like 3 (SOL-em-n), and that careful version is not wrong — but ordinary speech runs it to 2.

Is “solemn” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɑləm/ (SOL-uhm); British English says /ˈsɒləm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “solemn” mean?

As an adjective: dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises For example: “a grave God-fearing man” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “solemn”?

Stress the first syllable: SOL-emn. “sol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “solemn” 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.