How to pronounce false
Say it like FAWLS. False is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- FAWLS
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
False pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FAWLSSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of false
American and British speakers say false in essentially the same way: /fɔls/ in the US and /fɔːls/ in the UK.
British respelling: FAWLS.
What does false mean?
- Untrue, not factual, factually incorrect.
- Based on factually incorrect premises.“false legislation, false punishment”
- Spurious, artificial.“false teeth”
- To incorrectly decode noise as if it were a valid signal.
- To begin a race before being instructed to do so; to do a false start.
- In a dishonest and disloyal way; falsely.
Where does false come from?
The verb is from Middle English falsen, falsien, from Old French falser, from Latin falsō (“falsify”), itself also from falsus; compare French fausser (“to falsify, to distort”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
- erroneous
- fallacious
- counterfactual
- lease
- dastardly
- insincerely
- traitorwise
- mistaken
Opposite meaning
Questions about saying false
How do you pronounce false?
Say FAWLS. The American pronunciation is /fɔls/. In British English it is /fɔːls/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in false?
False is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: FAWLS.
Do Americans and Brits say false the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /fɔls/ and the British form is /fɔːls/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.