How to pronounce go
Say it like GOH. Go 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 go. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- GOH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Go pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- GOHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of go
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: GOH.
What does go mean?
- change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically“How fast does your new car go?”“We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus”
- follow a procedure or take a course“We should go farther in this matter”“She went through a lot of trouble”
- move away from a place into another direction“Go away before I start to cry”“The train departs at noon”
- a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)“it's my go”“a spell of work”
- street names for methylenedioxymethamphetamine
- a usually brief attempt“he took a crack at it”“I gave it a whirl”
- functioning correctly and ready for action“all systems are go”
Where does go come from?
Cognate with Scots gae, gan, gang, ging, gyang (“to go”), Yola go, goe, goeth, gow (“to go”), West Frisian gean (“to go”), Alemannic German gaa, go (“to go, walk, step”), Bavarian geh (“to go”), Cimbrian ghéenan, gian (“to go”), Dutch gaan
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with go
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of go.
Questions about saying go
How do you pronounce go?
Say GOH. The American pronunciation is /ɡoʊ/. In British English it is /ɡəʊ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in go?
Go is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: GOH.
Is go pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh". The British form is /ɡəʊ/ (GOH).