How to pronounce south
Say it like SOWTH. South 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 south. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SOWTH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
South pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SOWTHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of south
American and British speakers say south in essentially the same way: /saʊθ/ in the US and /saʊθ/ in the UK.
British respelling: SOWTH.
What does south mean?
- the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
- the southern states that seceded from the United States in 1861
- the cardinal compass point that is at 180 degrees
- situated in or facing or moving toward or coming from the south“the south entrance”
- in a southern direction“we moved south”
Where does south come from?
Cognate with Scots sooth (“south”), Yola zouth (“south”), North Frisian sööd, Süđ, süüd (“south”), Saterland Frisian Sude, Suud (“south”), West Frisian súd (“south”), Dutch zuid (“south”), German Süd (“south”), Danish syd (“south”), Faroese
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with south
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of south.
Questions about saying south
How do you pronounce south?
Say SOWTH. The American pronunciation is /saʊθ/. In British English it is /saʊθ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in south?
South is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SOWTH.
Do Americans and Brits say south the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /saʊθ/ and the British form is /saʊθ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.