How to pronounce war
Say it like WOR. War is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- WOR
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
War pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WORSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of war
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: WAW.
What does war mean?
- Organized, large-scale, armed conflict between countries or between national, ethnic, or other sizeable groups, usually but not always involving active engagement of military forces.“holy war; just war; civil war”
- A particular conflict of this kind.“a war of succession... a war of attrition... the Cold War... World War III...”
- Protracted armed conflict against irregular forces, particularly groups considered terrorists.“the Great Emu War... the Global War on Terrorism...”
- To engage in conflict (may be followed by "with" to specify the foe).
- To carry on, as a contest; to wage.
Where does war come from?
Related to Old High German werra (“confusion, strife, quarrel”) and German verwirren (“to confuse”), but not to Wehr (“defense”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
- peace
- make peace
Words that rhyme with war
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of war.
Words that sound like war
Questions about saying war
How do you pronounce war?
Say WOR. The American pronunciation is /wɔr/. In British English it is /wɔː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in war?
War is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WOR.
Is war pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /wɔː/ (WAW).
What words sound the same as war?
War sounds the same as wor, wore in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.