How to pronounce toothless
Say it like TOOTH-lus. Toothless has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (TOOTH).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce toothless. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TOOTH
- lus
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Toothless pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TOOTHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
- lusKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of toothless
American and British speakers say toothless in essentially the same way: /ˈtuθləs/ in the US and /ˈtuːθləs/ in the UK.
British respelling: TOOTH-lus.
What does toothless mean?
- Having no teeth.“a toothless old man”
- Weak; having no ability to enforce something.“The treaty was toothless because of the lack of participation from the undersigned.”
Where does toothless come from?
From Middle English tothles, from Old English tōþlēas, from Proto-Germanic *tanþlausaz (“toothless”), equivalent to tooth + -less.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with toothless
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of toothless.
Questions about saying toothless
How do you pronounce toothless?
Say TOOTH-lus. The American pronunciation is /ˈtuθləs/. In British English it is /ˈtuːθləs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in toothless?
Toothless has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (TOOTH). Broken into parts: TOOTH · lus.
Do Americans and Brits say toothless the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈtuθləs/ and the British form is /ˈtuːθləs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.