How to pronounce swamp
Say it like SWAHMP. Swamp 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 swamp. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SWAHMP
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Swamp pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SWAHMPSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
American vs British pronunciation of swamp
- The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English.
British respelling: SWOMP.
Other ways to say swamp
Swamp also has this pronunciation, usually with a different meaning or use:
- SWAWMP /swɔmp/
What does swamp mean?
- drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged“The tsunami swamped every boat in the harbor”
- fill quickly beyond capacity; as with a liquid“the basement was inundated after the storm”“The images flooded his mind”
- low land that is seasonally flooded; has more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog
- a situation fraught with difficulties and imponderables“he was trapped in a medical swamp”
Where does swamp come from?
The word has alternatively been suggested to be a borrowing from Dutch zwamp (“swamp, marsh, fen”).
Words that rhyme with swamp
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of swamp.
Questions about saying swamp
How do you pronounce swamp?
Say SWAHMP. The American pronunciation is /swɑmp/. In British English it is /swɒmp/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in swamp?
Swamp is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SWAHMP.
Is swamp pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English. The British form is /swɒmp/ (SWOMP).