How to pronounce song
Say it like SAWNG. Song 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 song. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SAWNG
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Song pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SAWNGSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of song
American and British speakers say song in essentially the same way: /sɔŋ/ in the US and /sɒŋ/ in the UK.
British respelling: SONG.
What does song mean?
- a short musical composition with words“a successful musical must have at least three good songs”
- a distinctive or characteristic sound“the song of bullets was in the air”“the song of the wind”
- the act of singing“with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates”
Where does song come from?
From Middle English song, sang, from Old English sang, from Proto-West Germanic *sangu, from Proto-Germanic *sangwaz (“singing, song”), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- (“to sing”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with song
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of song.
Questions about saying song
How do you pronounce song?
Say SAWNG. The American pronunciation is /sɔŋ/. In British English it is /sɒŋ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in song?
Song is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SAWNG.
Do Americans and Brits say song the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /sɔŋ/ and the British form is /sɒŋ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.