How to pronounce away
Say it like uh-WAY. Away has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (WAY).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce away. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- uh
- WAY
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Away pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- uhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- WAYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of away
American and British speakers say away in essentially the same way: /əˈweɪ/ in the US and /əˈweɪ/ in the UK.
British respelling: uh-WAY.
What does away mean?
- from a particular thing or place or position (forth is obsolete)“ran away from the lion”“wanted to get away from there”
- from one's possession“he gave out money to the poor”“gave away the tickets”
- out of the way (especially away from one's thoughts)“brush the objections aside”“pushed all doubts away”
- not present; having left“he's away right now”“you must not allow a stranger into the house when your mother is away”
- used of an opponent's ground“an away game”
- (of a baseball pitch) on the far side of home plate from the batter“the pitch was away (or wide)”“an outside pitch”
Where does away come from?
Cognate with Scots awa, away (“away”), Old Frisian aweg, awei (“away”), Saterland Frisian wäch, wääge (“away”), Dutch weg (“away”), German weg (“away”), Danish væk (“away”), Swedish i väg (“away; off; along”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with away
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of away.
Questions about saying away
How do you pronounce away?
Say uh-WAY. The American pronunciation is /əˈweɪ/. In British English it is /əˈweɪ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in away?
Away has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (WAY). Broken into parts: uh · WAY.
Do Americans and Brits say away the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /əˈweɪ/ and the British form is /əˈweɪ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.