How to pronounce skunk
Say it like SKUHNGK. Skunk 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 skunk. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SKUHNGK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Skunk pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SKUHNGKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
American vs British pronunciation of skunk
American and British speakers say skunk in essentially the same way: /skʌŋk/ in the US and /skʌŋk/ in the UK.
British respelling: SKUHNGK.
What does skunk mean?
- Any of various mammals of the subfamily Mephitinae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black coat with white markings and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive measure.
- A walkover victory in sports or board games, as when the opposing side is unable to score.
- A win by thirty or more points. (A double skunk is sixty or more, a triple skunk ninety or more.)
- A member of a hybrid skinhead and punk subculture.
- To spray someone with a strong-smelling liquid.
- To defeat so badly as to prevent any opposing points.“I skunked him at cards.”
- To win by thirty or more points.
Where does skunk come from?
Borrowed from an unattested Southern New England Eastern Algonquian word cognate with Abenaki segôgw (literally “he who squirts (musk) / urinates”), from Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa, from *šek- (“to urinate”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with skunk
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of skunk.
Questions about saying skunk
How do you pronounce skunk?
Say SKUHNGK. The American pronunciation is /skʌŋk/. In British English it is /skʌŋk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in skunk?
Skunk is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SKUHNGK.
Do Americans and Brits say skunk the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /skʌŋk/ and the British form is /skʌŋk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.