How to pronounce tongs
Say it like TAWNGZ. Tongs 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 tongs. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TAWNGZ
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Tongs pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TAWNGZSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of tongs
American and British speakers say tongs in essentially the same way: /tɔŋz/ in the US and /tɒŋz/ in the UK.
British respelling: TONGZ.
What does tongs mean?
- An instrument or tool used for picking things up without touching them with the hands or fingers, consisting of two slats or grips hinged at the end or in the middle, and sometimes including a spring to open the grips.
- A large scissors-like two-piece center-hinged forged-iron implement with oval-loop handles and with pointed tips turned inward (in the same plane as and perpendicular to the handles) to facilitate lifting and carrying a block of ice. Often called ice tongs.
- plural of tong (“instrument”) How to pronounce tong
- third-person singular simple present indicative of tong How to pronounce tong
Where does tongs come from?
From Middle English tonges, equivalent to tong (“tool for manipulating things in a fire”) + -s.
Questions about saying tongs
How do you pronounce tongs?
Say TAWNGZ. The American pronunciation is /tɔŋz/. In British English it is /tɒŋz/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in tongs?
Tongs is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: TAWNGZ.
Do Americans and Brits say tongs the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tɔŋz/ and the British form is /tɒŋz/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.