How to pronounce outbreak
Say it like OWT-brayk. Outbreak has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (OWT).
- OWT
- brayk
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Outbreak pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- OWTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
- braykGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of outbreak
American and British speakers say outbreak in essentially the same way: /ˈaʊtˌbreɪk/ in the US and /ˈaʊtˌbreɪk/ in the UK.
British respelling: OWT-brayk.
What does outbreak mean?
- An eruption; the sudden appearance of a rash, disease, etc.“Any epidemic outbreak causes understandable panic.”
- A sudden increase.“There has been an outbreak of vandalism at the school.”
- An outburst or sudden eruption, especially of violence and mischief.“There has been an outbreak of broken windows in the street.”
- To burst out or break forth.
Where does outbreak come from?
The noun is cognate with Saterland Frisian Uutbreek (“outbreak”), West Frisian útbrek (“outbreak”), Dutch uitbraak (“outbreak”), and German Ausbruch (“outbreak”), and is comparable to Danish udbrud (“outbreak”), Faroese and Icelandic útbrot
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying outbreak
How do you pronounce outbreak?
Say OWT-brayk. The American pronunciation is /ˈaʊtˌbreɪk/. In British English it is /ˈaʊtˌbreɪk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in outbreak?
Outbreak has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (OWT). Broken into parts: OWT · brayk.
Do Americans and Brits say outbreak the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈaʊtˌbreɪk/ and the British form is /ˈaʊtˌbreɪk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.