How to pronounce mad
Say it like MAD. Mad 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 mad. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- MAD
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Mad pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- MADSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of mad
American and British speakers say mad in essentially the same way: /mæd/ in the US and /mæd/ in the UK.
British respelling: MAD.
What does mad mean?
- roused to anger“stayed huffy a good while”“she gets mad when you wake her up so early”
- affected with madness or insanity“a man who had gone mad”
- marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion“a crowd of delirious baseball fans”“something frantic in their gaiety”
Where does mad come from?
From Middle English mad, madde, madd, medd, from Old English ġemǣd, ġemǣded (“enraged”), past participle of ġemǣdan, *mǣdan (“to make insane or foolish”), from Proto-Germanic *maidijaną (“to change; damage; cripple; injure; make mad”), from
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with mad
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of mad.
Questions about saying mad
How do you pronounce mad?
Say MAD. The American pronunciation is /mæd/. In British English it is /mæd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in mad?
Mad is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: MAD.
Do Americans and Brits say mad the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /mæd/ and the British form is /mæd/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.