How to pronounce true
Say it like TROO. True 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 true. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TROO
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
True pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TROOSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of true
American and British speakers say true in essentially the same way: /tru/ in the US and /truː/ in the UK.
British respelling: TROO.
What does true mean?
- consistent with fact or reality; not false“the story is true”“it is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true”
- accurately placed or thrown“his aim was true”“he was dead on target”
- devoted (sometimes fanatically) to a cause or concept or truth“true believers bonded together against all who disagreed with them”
- as acknowledged“true, she is the smartest in her class”
- proper alignment; the property possessed by something that is in correct or proper alignment“out of true”
Where does true come from?
Cognate with Saterland Frisian trjou (“honest”), Alemannic German trüüw (“loyal”), Dutch trouw (“loyal, true”), German treu (“loyal, true”), Luxembourgish trei (“loyal”), Danish tryg (“safe, secure”), Faroese and Icelandic tryggur (“faithfu
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with true
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of true.
Questions about saying true
How do you pronounce true?
Say TROO. The American pronunciation is /tru/. In British English it is /truː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in true?
True is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: TROO.
Do Americans and Brits say true the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tru/ and the British form is /truː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.