How to pronounce glad
Say it like GLAD. Glad 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 glad. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- GLAD
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Glad pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- GLADSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of glad
American and British speakers say glad in essentially the same way: /ɡlæd/ in the US and /ɡlæd/ in the UK.
British respelling: GLAD.
What does glad mean?
- showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy“glad you are here”“glad that they succeeded”
- eagerly disposed to act or to be of service“glad to help”
- feeling happy appreciation“glad of the fire's warmth”
- any of numerous plants of the genus Gladiolus native chiefly to tropical and South Africa having sword-shaped leaves and one-sided spikes of brightly colored funnel-shaped flowers; widely cultivated
Where does glad come from?
Cognate with Scots gled, glaid (“shining; bright; glad”), Saterland Frisian glääd (“smooth; sleek”), West Frisian glêd (“smooth”), Dutch glad (“smooth; sleek; slippery”), German glatt (“smooth; sleek; slippery”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedi
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with glad
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of glad.
Questions about saying glad
How do you pronounce glad?
Say GLAD. The American pronunciation is /ɡlæd/. In British English it is /ɡlæd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in glad?
Glad is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: GLAD.
Do Americans and Brits say glad the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ɡlæd/ and the British form is /ɡlæd/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.