How to pronounce less
Say it like LES. Less 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 less. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LES
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Less pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LESSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of less
American and British speakers say less in essentially the same way: /lɛs/ in the US and /lɛs/ in the UK.
British respelling: LES.
What does less mean?
- used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs“less interesting”“less expensive”
- comparative of little“she walks less than she should”“he works less these days”
- (comparative of little usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree“of less importance”“less time to spend with the family”
- (usually preceded by no) lower in quality“no less than perfect”
- (nonstandard in some uses but often idiomatic with measure phrases) fewer“less than three weeks”“no less than 50 people attended”
Where does less come from?
Noun from Middle English lesse, from the determiner.
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with less
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of less.
Questions about saying less
How do you pronounce less?
Say LES. The American pronunciation is /lɛs/. In British English it is /lɛs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in less?
Less is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: LES.
Do Americans and Brits say less the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /lɛs/ and the British form is /lɛs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.