How to pronounce jaw
Say it like JAW. Jaw 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 jaw. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- JAW
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Jaw pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- JAWSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of jaw
American and British speakers say jaw in essentially the same way: /dʒɔ/ in the US and /dʒɔː/ in the UK.
British respelling: JAW.
What does jaw mean?
- talk socially without exchanging too much information“the men were sitting in the cafe and shooting the breeze”
- talk incessantly and tiresomely
- chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth“He jawed his bubble gum”“Chew your food and don't swallow it!”
- the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth
- the bones of the skull that frame the mouth and serve to open it; the bones that hold the teeth
- holding device consisting of one or both of the opposing parts of a tool that close to hold an object
Where does jaw come from?
It is also conceivable that the word is a merger of two coincidentally similar sources.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with jaw
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of jaw.
Questions about saying jaw
How do you pronounce jaw?
Say JAW. The American pronunciation is /dʒɔ/. In British English it is /dʒɔː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in jaw?
Jaw is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: JAW.
Do Americans and Brits say jaw the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /dʒɔ/ and the British form is /dʒɔː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.