How to pronounce rock
Say it like ROK. Rock 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 rock. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- ROK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Rock pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- ROKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
American vs British pronunciation of rock
- The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English.
British respelling: ROK.
What does rock mean?
- a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter“he threw a rock at me”
- material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust“that mountain is solid rock”“stone is abundant in New England and there are many quarries”
- United States gynecologist and devout Catholic who conducted the first clinical trials of the oral contraceptive pill (1890-1984)
- move back and forth or sideways“the ship was rocking”“the tall building swayed”
- cause to move back and forth“rock the cradle”“rock the baby”
Where does rock come from?
Inherited from Middle English rocke, rokke (“rock formation”), from Old English *rocc (“rock”), as in Old English stānrocc (“high stone rock, peak, obelisk”), and also later from Anglo-Norman roque, (compare Modern French roc, roche, rocher
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with rock
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of rock.
Words that sound like rock
Questions about saying rock
How do you pronounce rock?
Say ROK. The American pronunciation is /rɑk/. In British English it is /rɒk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in rock?
Rock is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: ROK.
Is rock pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English. The British form is /rɒk/ (ROK).
What words sound the same as rock?
Rock sounds the same as roc in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.