How to pronounce lock
Say it like LOK. Lock 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 lock. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LOK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Lock pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LOKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
American vs British pronunciation of lock
- The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English.
British respelling: LOK.
What does lock mean?
- fasten with a lock“lock the bike to the fence”
- keep engaged“engaged the gears”
- become rigid or immoveable“The therapist noticed that the patient's knees tended to lock in this exercise”
- a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
- a strand or cluster of hair
- a mechanism that detonates the charge of a gun
Where does lock come from?
The verb is from Middle English locken, lokken, louken, from Old English lūcan, Proto-West Germanic *lūkan, from Proto-Germanic *lūkaną.
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with lock
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of lock.
Words that sound like lock
Questions about saying lock
How do you pronounce lock?
Say LOK. The American pronunciation is /lɑk/. In British English it is /lɒk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in lock?
Lock is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: LOK.
Is lock pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English. The British form is /lɒk/ (LOK).
What words sound the same as lock?
Lock sounds the same as lakh, loch, lough in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.