How to pronounce sax
Say it like SAKS. Sax 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 sax. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SAKS
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Sax pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SAKSSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of sax
American and British speakers say sax in essentially the same way: /sæks/ in the US and /sæks/ in the UK.
British respelling: SAKS.
What does sax mean?
- Alternative spelling of zax.
- a shade of color similar to sky blue
- To play the saxophone
Where does sax come from?
From Middle English sax, sex, from Old English seax (“a knife, hip-knife, an instrument for cutting, a short sword, dirk, dagger”), from Proto-West Germanic *sahs, from Proto-Germanic *sahsą (“stone chip, knife”), from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”).
Words that rhyme with sax
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of sax.
Questions about saying sax
How do you pronounce sax?
Say SAKS. The American pronunciation is /sæks/. In British English it is /sæks/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in sax?
Sax is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SAKS.
Do Americans and Brits say sax the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /sæks/ and the British form is /sæks/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.