How to pronounce car
Say it like KAR. Car 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 car. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KAR
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Car pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KARSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
American vs British pronunciation of car
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: KAH.
What does car mean?
- a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine“he needs a car to get to work”
- a wheeled vehicle adapted to the rails of railroad“three cars had jumped the rails”
- the compartment that is suspended from an airship and that carries personnel and the cargo and the power plant
Where does car come from?
Inherited from Middle English carre, borrowed from Anglo-Norman carre, from Old Northern French (compare Old French char), from Latin carrus (“two-wheeled baggage wagon”), from Gaulish *karros, from Proto-Celtic *karros (“wagon”), from Prot
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with car
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of car.
Questions about saying car
How do you pronounce car?
Say KAR. The American pronunciation is /kɑr/. In British English it is /kɑː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in car?
Car is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KAR.
Is car 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 /kɑː/ (KAH).