How to pronounce blow
Say it like BLOH. Blow 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 blow. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BLOH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Blow pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BLOHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of blow
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: BLOH.
What does blow mean?
- exhale hard“blow on the soup to cool it down”
- be blowing or storming“The wind blew from the West”
- free of obstruction by blowing air through“blow one's nose”
- a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon“a blow on the head”
- an impact (as from a collision)“the bump threw him off the bicycle”
- an unfortunate happening that hinders or impedes; something that is thwarting or frustrating
Where does blow come from?
From Middle English blowen, from Old English blāwan (“to blow, breathe, inflate, sound”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāan, from Proto-Germanic *blēaną (“to blow”) (compare German blähen), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“to swell, blow u
Words that rhyme with blow
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of blow.
Questions about saying blow
How do you pronounce blow?
Say BLOH. The American pronunciation is /bloʊ/. In British English it is /bləʊ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in blow?
Blow is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BLOH.
Is blow pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh". The British form is /bləʊ/ (BLOH).