How to pronounce east
Say it like EEST. East 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 east. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- EEST
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
East pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- EESTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of east
American and British speakers say east in essentially the same way: /ist/ in the US and /iːst/ in the UK.
British respelling: EEST.
What does east mean?
- the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
- the countries of Asia
- the region of the United States lying to the north of the Ohio River and to the east of the Mississippi River
- situated in or facing or moving toward the east
- to, toward, or in the east“we travelled east for several miles”“located east of Rome”
Where does east come from?
Cognate with Scots aist (“east”), North Frisian uast, ååst, ööst (“east”), Saterland Frisian Aaste (“east”), West Frisian east (“east”), Dutch oost (“east”), German Ost (“east”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål øst (“east”), Faroese eystur (“ea
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
- e
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with east
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of east.
Questions about saying east
How do you pronounce east?
Say EEST. The American pronunciation is /ist/. In British English it is /iːst/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in east?
East is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: EEST.
Do Americans and Brits say east the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ist/ and the British form is /iːst/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.