How to pronounce thousand
Say it like THOW-zund. Thousand has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (THOW).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce thousand. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- THOW
- zund
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Thousand pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- THOWSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
- zundKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of thousand
American and British speakers say thousand in essentially the same way: /ˈθaʊzənd/ in the US and /ˈθaʊzənd/ in the UK.
British respelling: THOW-zund.
What does thousand mean?
- the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
- denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000 items or units
Where does thousand come from?
From Middle English thousend, thusand, from Old English þūsend (“thousand”), from Proto-West Germanic *þūsundi, from Proto-Germanic *þūsundī (“thousand”), (compare Scots thousand (“thousand”), Saterland Frisian duusend (“thousand”), West Fr
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
- m
- k
- g
- grand
Questions about saying thousand
How do you pronounce thousand?
Say THOW-zund. The American pronunciation is /ˈθaʊzənd/. In British English it is /ˈθaʊzənd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in thousand?
Thousand has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (THOW). Broken into parts: THOW · zund.
Do Americans and Brits say thousand the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈθaʊzənd/ and the British form is /ˈθaʊzənd/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.