How to pronounce ourselves
Say it like or-SELVZ. Ourselves has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (SELVZ).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce ourselves. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- or
- SELVZ
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Ourselves pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- orKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
- SELVZSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of ourselves
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: ow-SELVZ.
What does ourselves mean?
- Us; the group including the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition when that group also is the subject.“We should keep this for ourselves.”
- Intensifies the subject as the group including the speaker, especially to indicate that no one else satisfies the predicate or needs to be included.“We did it ourselves.”
- Referring to everyone being addressed.“Come on everyone! Let's get ourselves up and out of bed, please.”
Where does ourselves come from?
Morphologically our + -selves.
Words that rhyme with ourselves
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of ourselves.
Questions about saying ourselves
How do you pronounce ourselves?
Say or-SELVZ. The American pronunciation is /ɑrˈsɛlvz/. In British English it is /aʊˈsɛlvz/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in ourselves?
Ourselves has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (SELVZ). Broken into parts: or · SELVZ.
Is ourselves 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 /aʊˈsɛlvz/ (ow-SELVZ).