How to pronounce fork
Say it like FORK. Fork 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 fork. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FORK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Fork pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FORKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of fork
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: FAWK.
What does fork mean?
- cutlery used for serving and eating food
- the act of branching out or dividing into branches
- the region of the angle formed by the junction of two branches“they took the south fork”“he climbed into the crotch of a tree”
- lift with a pitchfork“pitchfork hay”
- place under attack with one's own pieces, of two enemy pieces
- divide into two or more branches so as to form a fork“The road forks”
Where does fork come from?
In its primary sense of “fork”, Latin furca appears to be derived from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerk(ʷ)-, *ǵʰerg(ʷ)- (“fork”), although the development of the -c- is difficult to explain.
Words that rhyme with fork
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of fork.
Questions about saying fork
How do you pronounce fork?
Say FORK. The American pronunciation is /fɔrk/. In British English it is /fɔːk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in fork?
Fork is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: FORK.
Is fork pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /fɔːk/ (FAWK).