How to pronounce shoulder
Say it like SHOHL-der. Shoulder has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SHOHL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce shoulder. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SHOHL
- der
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Shoulder pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SHOHLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
- derKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "er" in butter.
American vs British pronunciation of shoulder
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: SHOHL-duh.
What does shoulder mean?
- lift onto one's shoulders
- push with the shoulders“He shouldered his way into the crowd”
- carry a burden, either real or metaphoric“shoulder the burden”
- the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
- a cut of meat including the upper joint of the foreleg
- a ball-and-socket joint between the head of the humerus and a cavity of the scapula
Where does shoulder come from?
From Middle English schuldre, sholder, shulder, schulder, from Old English sċuldra, sċuldor (“shoulder”), from Proto-West Germanic *skuldru (“shoulder”), of uncertain origin.
Words that rhyme with shoulder
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of shoulder.
Questions about saying shoulder
How do you pronounce shoulder?
Say SHOHL-der. The American pronunciation is /ˈʃoʊldɚ/. In British English it is /ˈʃəʊldə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in shoulder?
Shoulder has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SHOHL). Broken into parts: SHOHL · der.
Is shoulder 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 /ˈʃəʊldə/ (SHOHL-duh).