How to pronounce move
Say it like MOOV. Move 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 move. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- MOOV
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Move pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- MOOVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of move
American and British speakers say move in essentially the same way: /muv/ in the US and /muːv/ in the UK.
British respelling: MOOV.
What does move mean?
- change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically“How fast does your new car go?”“We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus”
- cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense“Move those boxes into the corner, please”“I'm moving my money to another bank”
- move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion“He moved his hand slightly to the right”
- the act of deciding to do something“he didn't make a move to help”“his first move was to hire a lawyer”
- the act of changing your residence or place of business“they say that three moves equal one fire”
- a change of position that does not entail a change of location“the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise”“movement is a sign of life”
Where does move come from?
From Middle English moven, moeven, meven, borrowed from Old Northern French mover, moveir and Old French mouver, moveir (“to move”) (compare modern French mouvoir from Old French movoir), from Latin movēre (“move; change, exchange, go in or
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with move
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of move.
Questions about saying move
How do you pronounce move?
Say MOOV. The American pronunciation is /muv/. In British English it is /muːv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in move?
Move is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: MOOV.
Do Americans and Brits say move the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /muv/ and the British form is /muːv/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.