How to pronounce bag
Say it like BAG. Bag is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce bag. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BAG
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bag pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BAGSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of bag
American and British speakers say bag in essentially the same way: /bæɡ/ in the US and /bæɡ/ in the UK.
British respelling: BAG.
What does bag mean?
- a flexible container with a single opening“he stuffed his laundry into a large bag”
- the quantity of game taken in a particular period (usually by one person)“his bag included two deer”
- a place that the runner must touch before scoring“he scrambled to get back to the bag”
- capture or kill, as in hunting“bag a few pheasants”
- hang loosely, like an empty bag
- bulge out; form a bulge outward, or be so full as to appear to bulge
Where does bag come from?
Inherited from Middle English bagge, from Old Norse baggi (“bag, pack, satchel, bundle”) (whence also Old French bague (“bundle, package, sack”)); related to Old Norse bǫggr (“harm, shame; load, burden”), of uncertain origin.
Words that rhyme with bag
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bag.
Questions about saying bag
How do you pronounce bag?
Say BAG. The American pronunciation is /bæɡ/. In British English it is /bæɡ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bag?
Bag is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BAG.
Do Americans and Brits say bag the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bæɡ/ and the British form is /bæɡ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.