How to pronounce us
Say it like UHS. Us 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 us. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- UHS
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Us pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- UHSSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
American vs British pronunciation of us
American and British speakers say us in essentially the same way: /ʌs/ in the US and /ʌs/ in the UK.
British respelling: UHS.
What does us mean?
- Me and at least one other person, excluding the person(s) being addressed. (exclusive us.)“Don't treat us like idiots.”
- Me and at least one other person, including the person(s) being addressed. (inclusive us.)“Let's ask him if he'll give us a lift.”
- We, used in the same circumstances where “me” would be used instead of “I”, e.g. for the pronoun in isolation or as the complement of the copula“Who's there?, Us. (or), It's us.”
- Designates the speaker(s)/writer(s) as constituting or belonging to the stated category of people (objective case).“It's not good enough for us teachers.”
- Designates the speaker(s)/writer(s) as constituting or belonging to the stated category of people (subjective case).
- Our.“We'll have to throw us food out.”
- The relationship between the speaker and some other unspecified person.“There is no us.”
Where does us come from?
From Middle English us, from Old English ūs (“us”, dative personal pronoun), from Proto-West Germanic *uns, from Proto-Germanic *uns (“us”), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥swé, alteration of *n̥smé (“us”).
Words that rhyme with us
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of us.
Questions about saying us
How do you pronounce us?
Say UHS. The American pronunciation is /ʌs/. In British English it is /ʌs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in us?
Us is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: UHS.
Do Americans and Brits say us the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ʌs/ and the British form is /ʌs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.