Pronunciation

How to pronounce “stalk

“stalk” is pronounced /stɔk/ (STAWK) in American English and /stɔːk/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “stalk” in one beat

Say it like this

stalk

/stɔk/

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

1 beat
  1. stalkstɔk
IPA (American)
/stɔk/
IPA (British)
/stɔːk/
Respelling
STAWK
Syllables
1 — stalk
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /stɔk/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/stɔk/

British

/stɔːk/

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

Meaning

What “stalk” means

  1. noun

    material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds

  2. noun

    a slender or elongated structure that supports a plant or fungus or a plant part or plant organ

  3. noun

    a hunt for game carried on by following it stealthily or waiting in ambush

Say it in a sentence

Cut the stalk close to the base before you cook it.
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

stalk”, answered

How do you pronounce “stalk”?

“stalk” is pronounced /stɔk/ (STAWK) in American English and /stɔːk/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /stɔk/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “stalk” have?

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

Is “stalk” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /stɔk/ (STAWK); British English says /stɔːk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “stalk” mean?

As a noun: material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds For example: “Cut the stalk close to the base before you cook it.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “stalk”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “stalk” 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.