How to pronounce hurt
Say it like HURT. Hurt 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 hurt. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HURT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Hurt pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HURTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ur" in nurse.
American vs British pronunciation of hurt
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: HURT.
What does hurt mean?
- be the source of pain
- give trouble or pain to“This exercise will hurt your back”
- cause emotional anguish or make miserable“It pains me to see my children not being taught well in school”
- any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
- psychological suffering“the death of his wife caused him great distress”
- feelings of mental or physical pain
- suffering from physical injury especially that suffered in battle“nursing his wounded arm”“ambulances...for the hurt men and women”
- damaged; used of inanimate objects or their value
Where does hurt come from?
Alternate etymology traces Old Northern French hurter rather to Old Norse hrútr (“ram (male sheep)”), lengthened-grade variant of hjǫrtr (“stag”), from Proto-Germanic *herutuz, *herutaz (“hart, male deer”), which would relate it to English hart (“male deer”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with hurt
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of hurt.
Questions about saying hurt
How do you pronounce hurt?
Say HURT. The American pronunciation is /hɝt/. In British English it is /hɜːt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in hurt?
Hurt is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: HURT.
Is hurt 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 /hɜːt/ (HURT).