How to pronounce oar
Say it like OR. Oar 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 oar. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- OR
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Oar pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- ORSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of oar
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: AW.
What does oar mean?
- A type of lever used to propel a boat, having a flat blade at one end and a handle at the other, and pivoted in a rowlock atop the gunwale, whereby a rower seated in the boat and pulling the handle can pass the blade through the water by repeated strokes against the water's resistance, thus moving t
- An oarsman; a rower.“He is a good oar.”
- An oar-like swimming organ of various invertebrates.
- To row; to travel with, or as if with, oars.
Where does oar come from?
From Middle English ore (“oar”), from Old English ār, from Proto-West Germanic *airu, from Proto-Germanic *airō (“oar”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with oar
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of oar.
Questions about saying oar
How do you pronounce oar?
Say OR. The American pronunciation is /oʊr/. In British English it is /ɔː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in oar?
Oar is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: OR.
Is oar pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /ɔː/ (AW).