How to pronounce clove
Say it like KLOHV. Clove 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 clove. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KLOHV
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Clove pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KLOHVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of clove
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: KLOHV.
What does clove mean?
- A very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded flower bud of the clove tree.
- A clove tree, of the species Syzygium aromaticum (syn. Caryophyllus aromaticus), native to the Moluccas (Indonesian islands), which produces the spice.
- An old English measure of weight, containing 7 pounds (3.2 kg), i.e. half a stone.
- One of the small bulbs that make up the large, compound bulb in garlic, shallots, or similar plants.“clove of garlic, garlic clove, clove of a sea-onion, clove of shallot, cloves of bulbs”
- simple past of cleave How to pronounce cleave
Where does clove come from?
From Middle English clove, an alteration of earlier clowe, borrowed from the first component of Old French clou (de girofle) (modern French clou de girofle), from Latin clāvus (“nail”) for its shape.
Words that rhyme with clove
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of clove.
Questions about saying clove
How do you pronounce clove?
Say KLOHV. The American pronunciation is /kloʊv/. In British English it is /kləʊv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in clove?
Clove is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KLOHV.
Is clove 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 /kləʊv/ (KLOHV).