How to pronounce raw
Say it like RAH. Raw is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- RAH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Raw pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- RAHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
American vs British pronunciation of raw
American and British speakers say raw in essentially the same way: /rɑ/ in the US and /rɔː/ in the UK.
British respelling: RAW.
What does raw mean?
- (of food) Not cooked.“There's nothing but raw fish in the freezer.”
- Subsisting on, or pertaining to, a diet of raw food.“I was 100% raw from 2014 until early 2018.”
- Not treated or processed; in a natural state, unrefined, unprocessed. (of materials, products, etc.)“raw cane sugar”
- Without a condom.“We did it raw.”
- An unprocessed sugar; a batch of such.
- A galled place; an inveterate sore.
- A point about which a person is particularly sensitive.
Where does raw come from?
Cognate with Scots raw (“raw”), Dutch rauw (“raw”), German roh (“raw”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish rå (“raw”), Faroese ráur (“raw”), Icelandic hrár (“raw”), Latin crūdus (“raw, bloody, uncooked”), Irish cró (“b
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with raw
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of raw.
Words that sound like raw
Questions about saying raw
How do you pronounce raw?
Say RAH. The American pronunciation is /rɑ/. In British English it is /rɔː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in raw?
Raw is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: RAH.
Do Americans and Brits say raw the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /rɑ/ and the British form is /rɔː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as raw?
Raw sounds the same as Ra, raa, rah in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.