How to pronounce pat
Say it like PAT. Pat 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 pat. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- PAT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Pat pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- PATSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of pat
American and British speakers say pat in essentially the same way: /pæt/ in the US and /pæt/ in the UK.
British respelling: PAT.
What does pat mean?
- hit lightly“pat him on the shoulder”
- the sound made by a gentle blow
- a light touch or stroke
- having only superficial plausibility“glib promises”“a slick commercial”
- exactly suited to the occasion“a pat reply”
Where does pat come from?
From Middle English pat (“a blow, stroke”), alteration (with loss of medial l) of *plat (> Scots plat (“a blow, buffet”)), from Old English plætt (“a sounding blow, a smack”), from Proto-West Germanic *platt (“a smack, slap, blow”), from Pr
Words that rhyme with pat
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of pat.
Questions about saying pat
How do you pronounce pat?
Say PAT. The American pronunciation is /pæt/. In British English it is /pæt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in pat?
Pat is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: PAT.
Do Americans and Brits say pat the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /pæt/ and the British form is /pæt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.