How to pronounce “water”
Say “water” in 2 beats
water
/ˈwɔtɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɔːtə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- watwɔstress
- ertɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈwɔtɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /wɔːtə/
- Respelling
- WAW-tuh
- Syllables
- 2 — WAT-er
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: WAT-er. “wat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈwɔtɚ/
/wɔːtə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “water” means
- noun
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
- noun
the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean)
“they invaded our territorial waters”
- noun
once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
Say it in a sentence
“The children splashed water all over the kitchen floor.”“water”, answered
How do you pronounce “water”?
“water” is pronounced /ˈwɔtɚ/ (WAW-tuh) in American English and /wɔːtə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “wat”. Build it as WAT-er, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “water” have?
2: wat · er. The beat lands on the first, “wat”.
Is “water” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈwɔtɚ/ (WAW-tuh); British English says /wɔːtə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “water” mean?
As a noun: binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent For example: “The children splashed water all over the kitchen floor.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “water”?
Stress the first syllable: WAT-er. “wat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “water” 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.