Pronunciation

How to pronounce “starts

“starts” is pronounced /stɑɹts/ (STAHRTS) in American English and /stɑːts/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “starts” in one beat

Say it like this

starts

/stɑɹts/

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

1 beat
  1. startsstɑɹts
IPA (American)
/stɑɹts/
IPA (British)
/stɑːts/
Respelling
STAHRTS
Syllables
1 — starts
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /stɑɹts/ 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

/stɑɹts/

British

/stɑːts/

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

Meaning

What “starts” means

  1. noun

    the beginning of anything

    it was off to a good start

  2. noun

    the time at which something is supposed to begin

    they got an early start

  3. noun

    a turn to be a starter (in a game at the beginning)

    he got his start because one of the regular pitchers was in the hospital

Say it in a sentence

The new semester starts right after the winter break.
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

starts”, answered

How do you pronounce “starts”?

“starts” is pronounced /stɑɹts/ (STAHRTS) in American English and /stɑːts/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /stɑɹts/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “starts” have?

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

Is “starts” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /stɑɹts/ (STAHRTS); British English says /stɑːts/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “starts” mean?

As a noun: the beginning of anything For example: “it was off to a good start” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “starts”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “starts” 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.