How to pronounce “southern”
Say “southern” in 2 beats
southern
/ˈsʌðɚn/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈsʌðən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- soutsʌstress
- hernðɚn
- IPA (American)
- /ˈsʌðɚn/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈsʌðən/
- Respelling
- SUDH-urn
- Syllables
- 2 — SOUT-hern
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: SOUT-hern. “sout” 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
/ˈsʌðɚn/
/ˈsʌðən/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “southern” goes wrong
- Often heard
“SOWTH-ern”
the vowel is the u of cup, not the ow of south
What “southern” means
- adjective
in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
“southern hospitality”
- adjective
situated in or oriented toward the south
“a southern exposure”
- adjective
situated in or coming from regions of the south
“the southern hemisphere”
Say it in a sentence
“The southern half of the county gets far less rain.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“southern”, answered
How do you pronounce “southern”?
“southern” is pronounced /ˈsʌðɚn/ (SUDH-urn) in American English and /ˈsʌðən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sout”. Build it as SOUT-hern, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “southern” have?
2: sout · hern. The beat lands on the first, “sout”.
Is “southern” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈsʌðɚn/ (SUDH-urn); British English says /ˈsʌðən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “southern” mean?
As an adjective: in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line For example: “southern hospitality” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “southern”?
Stress the first syllable: SOUT-hern. “sout” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “southern” 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.