How to pronounce our
Say it like OW-er. Our has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (OW).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce our. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- OW
- er
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Our pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- OWSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
- erKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "er" in butter.
American vs British pronunciation of our
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: OW-uh.
What does our mean?
- Belonging to us, excluding the person(s) being addressed (exclusive our).“Sorry, you're not invited to our party.”
- Belonging to us, including the person(s) being addressed (inclusive our).“We must try to save our marriage for the sake of our children.”
- Of, from, or belonging to any entity that the speaker is a part of or identifies with, such as place of employment or education, nation, region, language, etc.“Our safety record at ABC Widgets is very good.”
Where does our come from?
From Middle English oure, from Old English ūre, ūser (“our”), from Proto-Germanic *unseraz (“of us, our”), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-s-ero- (“our”).
Words that rhyme with our
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of our.
Words that sound like our
Questions about saying our
How do you pronounce our?
Say OW-er. The American pronunciation is /ˈaʊɚ/. In British English it is /ˈaʊə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in our?
Our has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (OW). Broken into parts: OW · er.
Is our 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 /ˈaʊə/ (OW-uh).
What words sound the same as our?
Our sounds the same as hour in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.