Pronunciation

How to pronounce “sort

“sort” is pronounced /sɔɹt/ (SAWRT) in American English and /sɔːt/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “sort” in one beat

Say it like this

sort

/sɔɹt/

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

1 beat
  1. sortsɔɹt
IPA (American)
/sɔɹt/
IPA (British)
/sɔːt/
Respelling
SAWRT
Syllables
1 — sort
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɔɹt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/sɔɹt/

British

/sɔːt/

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

Meaning

What “sort” means

  1. noun

    a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

    sculpture is a form of art

  2. noun

    an approximate definition or example

    she wore a sort of magenta dress

  3. noun

    a person of a particular character or nature

    what sort of person is he?

Say it in a sentence

She needed some sort of proof before signing the lease.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

sort”, answered

How do you pronounce “sort”?

“sort” is pronounced /sɔɹt/ (SAWRT) in American English and /sɔːt/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /sɔɹt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “sort” have?

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

Is “sort” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /sɔɹt/ (SAWRT); British English says /sɔːt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “sort” mean?

As a noun: a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality For example: “sculpture is a form of art” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “sort”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “sort” 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.