Pronunciation

How to pronounce “would

“would” is pronounced /wʊd/ (WUUD) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “would” in one beat

Say it like this

would

/wʊd/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. wouldwʊd
IPA (American)
/wʊd/
IPA (British)
/wʊd/
Respelling
WUUD
Syllables
1 — would
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wʊd/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Watch out

Where “would” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    WOOLD

    the l is silent: it sounds exactly like wood

Meaning

What “would” means

  1. verb

    used for a possible or imagined situation, a polite request, or a past habit

Say it in a sentence

She said she would call as soon as the train left.
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

would”, answered

How do you pronounce “would”?

“would” is pronounced /wʊd/ (WUUD) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wʊd/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “would” have?

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

What does “would” mean?

As a verb: used for a possible or imagined situation, a polite request, or a past habit For example: “She said she would call as soon as the train left.”

Where is the stress in “would”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “would” 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.