How to pronounce loud
Say it like LOWD. Loud 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 loud. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LOWD
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Loud pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LOWDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of loud
American and British speakers say loud in essentially the same way: /laʊd/ in the US and /laʊd/ in the UK.
British respelling: LOWD.
What does loud mean?
- characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity“a group of loud children”“loud thunder”
- tastelessly showy“a flash car”“a flashy ring”
- (used chiefly as a direction or description in music) loud; with force“the forte passages in the composition”
- with relatively high volume“the band played loudly”“she spoke loudly and angrily”
Where does loud come from?
Akin to Scots loud, lowd (“loud”), Swedish ljud, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk lyd, Faroese ljóð, Icelandic hljóð, West Frisian lûd (“loud”), Dutch luid (“loud”), Low German lud (“loud”), German laut (“loud”), Irish clú (“
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with loud
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of loud.
Questions about saying loud
How do you pronounce loud?
Say LOWD. The American pronunciation is /laʊd/. In British English it is /laʊd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in loud?
Loud is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: LOWD.
Do Americans and Brits say loud the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /laʊd/ and the British form is /laʊd/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.