How to pronounce mess
Say it like MES. Mess 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 mess. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- MES
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Mess pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- MESSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of mess
American and British speakers say mess in essentially the same way: /mɛs/ in the US and /mɛs/ in the UK.
British respelling: MES.
What does mess mean?
- a state of confusion and disorderliness“the house was a mess”“she smoothed the mussiness of the bed”
- informal terms for a difficult situation“he got into a terrible fix”“he made a muddle of his marriage”
- soft semiliquid food“a mess of porridge”
- eat in a mess hall
- make a mess of or create disorder in“He messed up his room”
Where does mess come from?
Perhaps a corruption of Middle English mesh (“mash”), compare muss, or derived from Etymology 2 "mixed foods, as for animals".
Words that rhyme with mess
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of mess.
Questions about saying mess
How do you pronounce mess?
Say MES. The American pronunciation is /mɛs/. In British English it is /mɛs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in mess?
Mess is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: MES.
Do Americans and Brits say mess the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /mɛs/ and the British form is /mɛs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.