How to pronounce school
Say it like SKOOL. School 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 school. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SKOOL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
School pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SKOOLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of school
American and British speakers say school in essentially the same way: /skul/ in the US and /skuːl/ in the UK.
British respelling: SKOOL.
What does school mean?
- an educational institution“the school was founded in 1900”
- a building where young people receive education“the school was built in 1932”“he walked to school every morning”
- the process of being formally educated at a school“what will you do when you finish school?”
- educate in or as if in a school“The children are schooled at great cost to their parents in private institutions”
- teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment“Cultivate your musical taste”“Train your tastebuds”
- swim in or form a large group of fish“A cluster of schooling fish was attracted to the bait”
Where does school come from?
Influenced in some senses by Middle English schole (“group of persons, host, company”), from Middle Dutch scole (“multitude, troop, band”).
Words that rhyme with school
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of school.
Questions about saying school
How do you pronounce school?
Say SKOOL. The American pronunciation is /skul/. In British English it is /skuːl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in school?
School is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SKOOL.
Do Americans and Brits say school the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /skul/ and the British form is /skuːl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.