How to pronounce own
Say it like OHN. Own 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 own. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- OHN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Own pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- OHNSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of own
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: OHN.
What does own mean?
- have ownership or possession of“He owns three houses in Florida”“How many cars does she have?”
- belonging to or on behalf of a specified person (especially yourself); preceded by a possessive“for your own use”“do your own thing”
Where does own come from?
Cognate with Scots ain, awin, awn, ayn (“own”), Saterland Frisian oain (“own”), West Frisian, Dutch, and German eigen (“own”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Swedish egen (“own”), Faroese egin (“own”), Icelandic eigin, eiginn (“own”), Norweg
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with own
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of own.
Questions about saying own
How do you pronounce own?
Say OHN. The American pronunciation is /oʊn/. In British English it is /əʊn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in own?
Own is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: OHN.
Is own pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh". The British form is /əʊn/ (OHN).