How to pronounce shirt
Say it like SHURT. Shirt 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 shirt. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SHURT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Shirt pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SHURTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ur" in nurse.
American vs British pronunciation of shirt
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: SHURT.
What does shirt mean?
- a garment worn on the upper half of the body
- put a shirt on
Where does shirt come from?
Doublet of skirt via Old Norse; further related to short.
Words that rhyme with shirt
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of shirt.
Questions about saying shirt
How do you pronounce shirt?
Say SHURT. The American pronunciation is /ʃɝt/. In British English it is /ʃɜːt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in shirt?
Shirt is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SHURT.
Is shirt pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /ʃɜːt/ (SHURT).