How to pronounce smart
Say it like SMART. Smart 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 smart. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SMART
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Smart pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SMARTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
American vs British pronunciation of smart
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: SMAHT.
What does smart mean?
- showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
- elegant and stylish“chic elegance”“a smart new dress”
- characterized by quickness and ease in learning“some children are brighter in one subject than another”“smart children talk earlier than the average”
- be the source of pain
- a kind of pain such as that caused by a wound or a burn or a sore
Where does smart come from?
From Middle English smerten, from Old English *smeortan (“to smart”), from Proto-West Germanic *smertan, from Proto-Germanic *smertaną (“to hurt, ache”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- (“to bite, sting”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with smart
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of smart.
Questions about saying smart
How do you pronounce smart?
Say SMART. The American pronunciation is /smɑrt/. In British English it is /smɑːt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in smart?
Smart is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SMART.
Is smart 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 /smɑːt/ (SMAHT).