How to pronounce star
Say it like STAR. Star 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 star. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- STAR
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Star pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- STARSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
American vs British pronunciation of star
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: STAH.
What does star mean?
- (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
- someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
- any celestial body visible (as a point of light) from the Earth at night
- feature as the star“The movie stars Dustin Hoffman as an autistic man”
- be the star in a performance
- mark with an asterisk“Linguists star unacceptable sentences”
- indicating the most important performer or role“the leading man”“prima ballerina”
Where does star come from?
Cognate with Scots starn, ster (“star”), Yola starr, steor (“star”), Saterland Frisian Stiern (“star”), West Frisian stjer (“star”), Cimbrian stèrn (“star”), Dutch ster (“star”), German Stern (“star”), Luxembourgish Stär (“star”), Mòcheno s
Words that rhyme with star
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of star.
Questions about saying star
How do you pronounce star?
Say STAR. The American pronunciation is /stɑr/. In British English it is /stɑː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in star?
Star is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: STAR.
Is star 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 /stɑː/ (STAH).