How to pronounce of
Say it like UHV. Of 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 of. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- UHV
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Of pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- UHVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
American vs British pronunciation of of
American and British speakers say of in essentially the same way: /ʌv/ in the US and /ɒv/ in the UK.
British respelling: OV.
What does of mean?
- Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.).“He hasn't been well of late.”
- From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.).“There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage.”
- Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.“Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband.”
- Eye dialect spelling of have and 've, chiefly in depictions of colloquial speech.
Where does of come from?
From Middle English of, from Old English of (“from, out of, off”), an unstressed form of æf, from Proto-West Germanic *ab, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“away; away from”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó (“away”).
Words that rhyme with of
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of of.
Questions about saying of
How do you pronounce of?
Say UHV. The American pronunciation is /ʌv/. In British English it is /ɒv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in of?
Of is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: UHV.
Do Americans and Brits say of the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ʌv/ and the British form is /ɒv/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.