How to pronounce couth
Say it like KOOTH. Couth 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 couth. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KOOTH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Couth pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KOOTHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of couth
American and British speakers say couth in essentially the same way: /kuθ/ in the US and /kuːθ/ in the UK.
British respelling: KOOTH.
What does couth mean?
- Agreeable, friendly, pleasant.
- Comfortable; cosy, snug.
- Marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication; cultured, refined.
- Social grace, refinement, sophistication; etiquette, manners.“That man has no couth.”
- A person with social graces; a refined or sophisticated person.
Where does couth come from?
From Middle English couth (“familiar, known; evident, true; famous, respected, well-known; genteel, having good manners”), from Old English cūþ (“familiar, intimate, known, usual; certain, plain, manifest; famous, noted, well-known; excelle
Words that rhyme with couth
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of couth.
Questions about saying couth
How do you pronounce couth?
Say KOOTH. The American pronunciation is /kuθ/. In British English it is /kuːθ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in couth?
Couth is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KOOTH.
Do Americans and Brits say couth the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /kuθ/ and the British form is /kuːθ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.