Pronunciation

How to pronounce “vote

“vote” is pronounced /voʊt/ (VOHT) in American English and /vəʊt/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “vote” in one beat

Say it like this

vote

/voʊt/

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

1 beat
  1. votevoʊt
IPA (American)
/voʊt/
IPA (British)
/vəʊt/
Respelling
VOHT
Syllables
1 — vote
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /voʊt/ 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

/voʊt/

British

/vəʊt/

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

Meaning

What “vote” means

  1. noun

    a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative

    there were only 17 votes in favor of the motion

  2. noun

    the opinion of a group as determined by voting

    they put the question to a vote

  3. noun

    a legal right guaranteed by the 15th amendment to the US Constitution; guaranteed to women by the 19th amendment

    American women got the vote in 1920

Say it in a sentence

The committee will vote on the new proposal next week.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 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

vote”, answered

How do you pronounce “vote”?

“vote” is pronounced /voʊt/ (VOHT) in American English and /vəʊt/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /voʊt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “vote” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /voʊt/ — a single beat.

Is “vote” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /voʊt/ (VOHT); British English says /vəʊt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “vote” mean?

As a noun: a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative For example: “there were only 17 votes in favor of the motion” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “vote”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “vote” 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.