How to pronounce “worst”
Say “worst” in one beat
worst
/wɝst/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɜːst/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- worstwɝst
- IPA (American)
- /wɝst/
- IPA (British)
- /wɜːst/
- Respelling
- WURST
- Syllables
- 1 — worst
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɝst/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/wɝst/
/wɜːst/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “worst” means
- noun
the least favorable outcome
“the worst that could happen”
- noun
the greatest damage or wickedness of which one is capable
“the invaders did their worst”
- noun
the weakest effort or poorest achievement one is capable of
“it was the worst he had ever done on a test”
Say it in a sentence
“That was the worst storm the town had seen in years.”“worst”, answered
How do you pronounce “worst”?
“worst” is pronounced /wɝst/ (WURST) in American English and /wɜːst/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wɝst/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “worst” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /wɝst/ — a single beat.
Is “worst” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /wɝst/ (WURST); British English says /wɜːst/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “worst” mean?
As a noun: the least favorable outcome For example: “the worst that could happen” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “worst”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɝst/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “worst” 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.