How to pronounce cup
Say it like KUHP. Cup 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 cup. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KUHP
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Cup pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KUHPSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
American vs British pronunciation of cup
American and British speakers say cup in essentially the same way: /kʌp/ in the US and /kʌp/ in the UK.
British respelling: KUHP.
What does cup mean?
- a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle“he put the cup back in the saucer”“the handle of the cup was missing”
- the quantity a cup will hold“he drank a cup of coffee”“he borrowed a cup of sugar”
- any cup-shaped concavity“bees filled the waxen cups with honey”“he wore a jock strap with a metal cup”
- form into the shape of a cup“She cupped her hands”
- put into a cup“cup the milk”
- treat by applying evacuated cups to the patient's skin
Where does cup come from?
The Middle English word was further reinforced by Anglo-Norman cupe and Old French cope, coupe, from Latin cuppa.
Words that rhyme with cup
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of cup.
Questions about saying cup
How do you pronounce cup?
Say KUHP. The American pronunciation is /kʌp/. In British English it is /kʌp/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in cup?
Cup is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KUHP.
Do Americans and Brits say cup the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /kʌp/ and the British form is /kʌp/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.