How to pronounce “world”
Say “world” in one beat
world
/wɝld/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɜːld/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- worldwɝld
- IPA (American)
- /wɝld/
- IPA (British)
- /wɜːld/
- Respelling
- WURLD
- Syllables
- 1 — world
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɝld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/wɝld/
/wɜːld/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “world” goes wrong
- Often heard
“WORLD as two syllables”
one syllable: the r and the l run together without a vowel
What “world” means
- noun
everything that exists anywhere
“they study the evolution of the universe”
- noun
people in general; especially a distinctive group of people with some shared interest
“the Western world”
- noun
all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
“his world was shattered”
Say it in a sentence
“She has travelled to more countries than anyone else in the world.”“world”, answered
How do you pronounce “world”?
“world” is pronounced /wɝld/ (WURLD) in American English and /wɜːld/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wɝld/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “world” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /wɝld/ — a single beat.
Is “world” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /wɝld/ (WURLD); British English says /wɜːld/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “world” mean?
As a noun: everything that exists anywhere For example: “they study the evolution of the universe” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “world”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɝld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “world” 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.