Pronunciation

How to pronounce “woman

“woman” is pronounced /ˈwʊmən/ (WUU-muhn) in American English and /wʊmən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “wom”.
The sound

Say “woman” in 2 beats

Say it like this

woman

/ˈwʊmən/

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

2 beats
  1. womstress
  2. anmən
IPA (American)
/ˈwʊmən/
IPA (British)
/wʊmən/
Respelling
WUU-muhn
Syllables
2 — WOM-an
Stress
Stress the first syllable: WOM-an. “wom” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈwʊmən/

British

/wʊmən/

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

Meaning

What “woman” means

  1. noun

    an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

    the woman kept house while the man hunted

  2. noun

    a female person who plays a significant role (wife or mistress or girlfriend) in the life of a particular man

    he was faithful to his woman

  3. noun

    a human female employed to do housework

    the char will clean the carpet

Say it in a sentence

The woman at the front desk helped us find our room.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

woman”, answered

How do you pronounce “woman”?

“woman” is pronounced /ˈwʊmən/ (WUU-muhn) in American English and /wʊmən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “wom”. Build it as WOM-an, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “woman” have?

2: wom · an. The beat lands on the first, “wom”.

Is “woman” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈwʊmən/ (WUU-muhn); British English says /wʊmən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “woman” mean?

As a noun: an adult female person (as opposed to a man) For example: “the woman kept house while the man hunted” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “woman”?

Stress the first syllable: WOM-an. “wom” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “woman” 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.