How to pronounce few
Say it like FYOO. Few 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 few. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FYOO
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Few pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FYOOSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of few
American and British speakers say few in essentially the same way: /fju/ in the US and /fjuː/ in the UK.
British respelling: FYOO.
What does few mean?
- a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by a; a small but indefinite number“a few weeks ago”“a few more wagons than usual”
- a small elite group“it was designed for the discriminating few”
Where does few come from?
Cognate with Old Saxon fā (“few”), Old High German fao, fō (“few, little”), Old Norse fár (“few”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍃 (faus, “few”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with few
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of few.
Questions about saying few
How do you pronounce few?
Say FYOO. The American pronunciation is /fju/. In British English it is /fjuː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in few?
Few is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: FYOO.
Do Americans and Brits say few the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /fju/ and the British form is /fjuː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.