How to pronounce dreadlocks
Say it like DRED-lahks. Dreadlocks has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (DRED).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce dreadlocks. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- DRED
- lahks
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Dreadlocks pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DREDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- lahksGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
American vs British pronunciation of dreadlocks
- The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English.
British respelling: DRED-loks.
What does dreadlocks mean?
- A hairstyle worn by Rastafarians and others in which the hair is left to grow long, and twisted into matted strings.
- third-person singular simple present indicative of dreadlock How to pronounce dreadlock
Where does dreadlocks come from?
Borrowed from Jamaican Creole dreadlocks, from dread (“of or relating to a dread”, adjective) (from dread (“(usually black) male member of the Rastafarian movement who wears his hair in dreadlocks”, noun), from English dread (“reverential o
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying dreadlocks
How do you pronounce dreadlocks?
Say DRED-lahks. The American pronunciation is /ˈdrɛdˌlɑks/. In British English it is /ˈdrɛdlɒks/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in dreadlocks?
Dreadlocks has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (DRED). Broken into parts: DRED · lahks.
Is dreadlocks pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English. The British form is /ˈdrɛdlɒks/ (DRED-loks).