How to pronounce “sorry”
Say “sorry” in 2 beats
sorry
/ˈsɑɹi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɒɹi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- sorsɑstress
- ryɹi
- IPA (American)
- /ˈsɑɹi/
- IPA (British)
- /sɒɹi/
- Respelling
- SAH-ree
- Syllables
- 2 — SOR-ry
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: SOR-ry. “sor” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈsɑɹi/
/sɒɹi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “sorry” means
- adjective
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
“felt regretful over his vanished youth”
- adjective
bad; unfortunate
“my finances were in a deplorable state”
- adjective
without merit
“a sorry horse”
Say it in a sentence
“She felt sorry for forgetting her friend's birthday.”“sorry”, answered
How do you pronounce “sorry”?
“sorry” is pronounced /ˈsɑɹi/ (SAH-ree) in American English and /sɒɹi/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sor”. Build it as SOR-ry, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “sorry” have?
2: sor · ry. The beat lands on the first, “sor”.
Is “sorry” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈsɑɹi/ (SAH-ree); British English says /sɒɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “sorry” mean?
As an adjective: feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone For example: “felt regretful over his vanished youth” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “sorry”?
Stress the first syllable: SOR-ry. “sor” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “sorry” 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.