Pronunciation

How to pronounce “sound

“sound” is pronounced /saʊnd/ (SOWND) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “sound” in one beat

Say it like this

sound

/saʊnd/

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

1 beat
  1. soundsaʊnd
IPA (American)
/saʊnd/
IPA (British)
/saʊnd/
Respelling
SOWND
Syllables
1 — sound
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /saʊnd/ 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
Meaning

What “sound” means

  1. noun

    the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

    the sound of rain on the roof

  2. noun

    the subjective sensation of hearing something

    he strained to hear the faint sounds

  3. noun

    mechanical vibrations transmitted by an elastic medium

    falling trees make a sound in the forest even when no one is there to hear them

Say it in a sentence

She woke up to the sound of rain on the roof.
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

sound”, answered

How do you pronounce “sound”?

“sound” is pronounced /saʊnd/ (SOWND) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /saʊnd/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “sound” have?

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

What does “sound” mean?

As a noun: the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause For example: “the sound of rain on the roof” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “sound”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “sound” 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.