How to pronounce now
Say it like NOW. Now 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 now. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- NOW
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Now pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- NOWSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of now
American and British speakers say now in essentially the same way: /naʊ/ in the US and /naʊ/ in the UK.
British respelling: NOW.
What does now mean?
- in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events“President Kennedy now calls in the National Guard”“Washington now decides to cross the Delaware”
- in these times“it is solely by their language that the upper classes nowadays are distinguished”“we now rarely see horse-drawn vehicles on city streets”
- used to preface a command or reproof or request“now hear this!”“now pay attention”
- the momentary present“Now is a good time to do it”“it worked up to right now”
Where does now come from?
Cognate with Scots noo, nou, now (“now”), Yola neow, now, nowe (“now”), North Frisian nü (“now”), West Frisian no (“now”), Dutch nu, nou (“now”), German nu, nun (“now”), Limburgish noe, Nuu (“now”), Danish and Swedish nu (“now”), Elfdalian
Words that rhyme with now
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of now.
Questions about saying now
How do you pronounce now?
Say NOW. The American pronunciation is /naʊ/. In British English it is /naʊ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in now?
Now is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: NOW.
Do Americans and Brits say now the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /naʊ/ and the British form is /naʊ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.