Pronunciation

How to pronounce “sports

“sports” is pronounced /spɔɹts/ (SPAWRTS) in American English and /spɔːts/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “sports” in one beat

Say it like this

sports

/spɔɹts/

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

1 beat
  1. sportsspɔɹts
IPA (American)
/spɔɹts/
IPA (British)
/spɔːts/
Respelling
SPAWRTS
Syllables
1 — sports
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /spɔɹts/ 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

/spɔɹts/

British

/spɔːts/

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

Meaning

What “sports” means

  1. noun

    an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

  2. noun

    the occupation of athletes who compete for pay

  3. noun

    (Maine colloquial) a temporary summer resident of Maine

Say it in a sentence

He watches sports every weekend with his older brother.
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

sports”, answered

How do you pronounce “sports”?

“sports” is pronounced /spɔɹts/ (SPAWRTS) in American English and /spɔːts/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /spɔɹts/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “sports” have?

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

Is “sports” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /spɔɹts/ (SPAWRTS); British English says /spɔːts/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “sports” mean?

As a noun: an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition For example: “He watches sports every weekend with his older brother.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “sports”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “sports” 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.