How to pronounce bird
Say it like BURD. Bird 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 bird. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BURD
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bird pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BURDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ur" in nurse.
American vs British pronunciation of bird
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: BURD.
What does bird mean?
- warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
- the flesh of a bird or fowl (wild or domestic) used as food
- informal terms for a (young) woman
- watch and study birds in their natural habitat
Where does bird come from?
The "booing/jeering" and "vulgar hand gesture" senses derived from the expression “to give the big bird”, as in “to hiss someone like a goose”, dated in the mid‐18th century.
Words that rhyme with bird
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bird.
Questions about saying bird
How do you pronounce bird?
Say BURD. The American pronunciation is /bɝd/. In British English it is /bɜːd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bird?
Bird is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BURD.
Is bird pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /bɜːd/ (BURD).