How to pronounce down
Say it like DOWN. Down 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 down. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- DOWN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Down pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DOWNSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of down
American and British speakers say down in essentially the same way: /daʊn/ in the US and /daʊn/ in the UK.
British respelling: DOWN.
What does down mean?
- being or moving lower in position or less in some value“lay face down”“the moon is down”
- extending or moving from a higher to a lower place“the down staircase”“the downward course of the stream”
- becoming progressively lower“the down trend in the real estate market”
- drink down entirely“He downed three martinis before dinner”“She killed a bottle of brandy that night”
- eat up completely, as with great appetite“Some people can down a pound of meat in the course of one meal”“The teenagers demolished four pizzas among them”
- bring down or defeat (an opponent)
- spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position“don't fall down”“rode the lift up and skied down”
- away from a more central or a more northerly place“was sent down to work at the regional office”“worked down on the farm”
- paid in cash at time of purchase“put ten dollars down on the necklace”
Where does down come from?
From Middle English doun, doune (“down”), from Old English dūne (“down”), aphetic form of adūne (“down, downward”), from earlier ofdūne (“down”, literally “off the hill”), from of (“of, off of”) + dūn (“hill, mount, dune, down”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with down
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of down.
Questions about saying down
How do you pronounce down?
Say DOWN. The American pronunciation is /daʊn/. In British English it is /daʊn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in down?
Down is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: DOWN.
Do Americans and Brits say down the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /daʊn/ and the British form is /daʊn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.