How to pronounce lowdown
Say it like LOH-down. Lowdown has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LOH).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce lowdown. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LOH
- down
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Lowdown pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LOHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
- downGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of lowdown
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: LOH-down.
What does lowdown mean?
- inside information, the story or truth.“All the reporters hoped to be the first to get the lowdown on the celebrity's marriage plans.”
- A lowlife, a despicable person.
- Unfair; scoundrelly; shameful.“lowdown tactics”
- seedy, sketchy, disreputable
- down low; purporting to be heterosexual while engaged in sex with men.
- Unfairly; dishonourably; in a deceitful or mean manner.
Where does lowdown come from?
Compound adjective of low + down in the sense of "humble" recorded in the 1540s, in the sense of "vulgar, far down the social scale" in 1888.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with lowdown
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of lowdown.
Questions about saying lowdown
How do you pronounce lowdown?
Say LOH-down. The American pronunciation is /ˈloʊˌdaʊn/. In British English it is /ˈləʊˌdaʊn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in lowdown?
Lowdown has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LOH). Broken into parts: LOH · down.
Is lowdown pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh". The British form is /ˈləʊˌdaʊn/ (LOH-down).