How to pronounce downtown
Say it like DOWN-town. Downtown has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (DOWN).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce downtown. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- DOWN
- town
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Downtown 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.
- townGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of downtown
American and British speakers say downtown in essentially the same way: /ˈdaʊnˌtaʊn/ in the US and /ˈdaʊnˌtaʊn/ in the UK.
British respelling: DOWN-town.
What does downtown mean?
- the central area or commercial center of a town or city“the heart of Birmingham's downtown”
- of or located in the lower part of a town, or in the business center“downtown Manhattan”“delinquents roaming the downtown streets”
- toward or in the lower or central part of town
Where does downtown come from?
From down + town.
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Questions about saying downtown
How do you pronounce downtown?
Say DOWN-town. The American pronunciation is /ˈdaʊnˌtaʊn/. In British English it is /ˈdaʊnˌtaʊn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in downtown?
Downtown has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (DOWN). Broken into parts: DOWN · town.
Do Americans and Brits say downtown the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈdaʊnˌtaʊn/ and the British form is /ˈdaʊnˌtaʊn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.