How to pronounce lost
Say it like LAWST. Lost 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 lost. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LAWST
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Lost pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LAWSTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of lost
American and British speakers say lost in essentially the same way: /lɔst/ in the US and /lɒst/ in the UK.
British respelling: LOST.
What does lost mean?
- no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered“a lost child”“lost friends”
- having lost your bearings; confused as to time or place or personal identity“I frequently find myself disoriented when I come up out of the subway”“the anesthetic left her completely disoriented”
- spiritually or physically doomed or destroyed“lost souls”“a lost generation”
- people who are destined to die soon“the agony of the doomed was in his voice”
Where does lost come from?
From Middle English loste, losede (preterite) and Middle English lost, ilost, ilosed (past participle), from Old English losode (preterite) and Old English losod, ġelosod, equivalent to lose + -t.
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with lost
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of lost.
Questions about saying lost
How do you pronounce lost?
Say LAWST. The American pronunciation is /lɔst/. In British English it is /lɒst/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in lost?
Lost is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: LAWST.
Do Americans and Brits say lost the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /lɔst/ and the British form is /lɒst/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.