How to pronounce slow
Say it like SLOH. Slow 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 slow. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SLOH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Slow pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SLOHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of slow
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: SLOH.
What does slow mean?
- lose velocity; move more slowly“The car decelerated”
- become slow or slower“Production slowed”
- cause to proceed more slowly“The illness slowed him down”
- not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time“a slow walker”“the slow lane of traffic”
- at a slow tempo“the band played a slow waltz”
- slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity“so dense he never understands anything I say to him”“never met anyone quite so dim”
- without speed (slow is sometimes used informally for slowly)“he spoke slowly”“go easy here--the road is slippery”
- of timepieces“the clock is almost an hour slow”“my watch is running behind”
Where does slow come from?
Cognate with Dutch slee, sleeuw (“cramped, stiff; blunt; sour”), Danish sløv (“blunt; dull; apathetic, lethargic, listless, sluggish, torpid; drowsy”), Icelandic sljór (“dim-witted; blunt; jaded”), Norwegian Nynorsk sljo, slø, sløv (“blunt;
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with slow
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of slow.
Questions about saying slow
How do you pronounce slow?
Say SLOH. The American pronunciation is /sloʊ/. In British English it is /sləʊ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in slow?
Slow is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SLOH.
Is slow pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh". The British form is /sləʊ/ (SLOH).