How to pronounce dawn
Say it like DAWN. Dawn 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 dawn. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- DAWN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Dawn pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DAWNSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of dawn
American and British speakers say dawn in essentially the same way: /dɔn/ in the US and /dɔːn/ in the UK.
British respelling: DAWN.
What does dawn mean?
- the first light of day“we got up before dawn”“they talked until morning”
- the earliest period“the dawn of civilization”“the morning of the world”
- an opening time period“it was the dawn of the Roman Empire”
- become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions“It dawned on him that she had betrayed him”“she was penetrated with sorrow”
- appear or develop“The age of computers had dawned”
- become light“It started to dawn, and we had to get up”
Where does dawn come from?
From Middle English dawnen, either a back-formation from dawnynge or a modification of dawen (“to dawn”) after it.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with dawn
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of dawn.
Questions about saying dawn
How do you pronounce dawn?
Say DAWN. The American pronunciation is /dɔn/. In British English it is /dɔːn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in dawn?
Dawn is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: DAWN.
Do Americans and Brits say dawn the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /dɔn/ and the British form is /dɔːn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.