How to pronounce mouse
Say it like MOWS. Mouse is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- MOWS
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Mouse pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- MOWSSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of mouse
American and British speakers say mouse in essentially the same way: /maʊs/ in the US and /maʊs/ in the UK.
British respelling: MOWS.
What does mouse mean?
- Any mammal of the many rodent families (especially Muridae) that have a small body and a long tail.
- Such a rodent that is of the genus Mus.
- A quiet or shy person.“She's probably hiding in her room, she always does when we have company. She's our little mouse.”
- To move cautiously or furtively, in the manner of a mouse (the rodent) (frequently used in the phrasal verb to mouse around).
- To hunt or catch mice (the rodents), usually of cats.
- To close the mouth of a hook by a careful binding of marline or wire.“Captain Higgins moused the hook with a bit of marline to prevent the block beckets from falling out under slack.”
Where does mouse come from?
The computing sense was coined by American engineer Bill English in 1965 and first used publicly in a publication titled "Computer-Aided Display Control", in reference to the similarity with the animal.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with mouse
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of mouse.
Questions about saying mouse
How do you pronounce mouse?
Say MOWS. The American pronunciation is /maʊs/. In British English it is /maʊs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in mouse?
Mouse is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: MOWS.
Do Americans and Brits say mouse the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /maʊs/ and the British form is /maʊs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.