How to pronounce “staff”
Say “staff” in one beat
staff
/stæf/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /staf/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- staffstæf
- IPA (American)
- /stæf/
- IPA (British)
- /staf/
- Respelling
- STAF
- Syllables
- 1 — staff
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /stæf/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/stæf/
/staf/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “staff” means
- noun
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
“the hospital has an excellent nursing staff”
- noun
a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose
“he walked with the help of a wooden staff”
- noun
the body of teachers and administrators at a school
“the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university”
Say it in a sentence
“The hotel staff greeted every guest with a warm smile.”“staff”, answered
How do you pronounce “staff”?
“staff” is pronounced /stæf/ (STAF) in American English and /staf/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /stæf/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “staff” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /stæf/ — a single beat.
Is “staff” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /stæf/ (STAF); British English says /staf/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “staff” mean?
As a noun: personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task For example: “the hospital has an excellent nursing staff” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “staff”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /stæf/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “staff” 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.