How to pronounce west
Say it like WEST. West 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 west. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- WEST
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
West pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WESTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of west
American and British speakers say west in essentially the same way: /wɛst/ in the US and /wɛst/ in the UK.
British respelling: WEST.
What does west mean?
- the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
- the cardinal compass point that is a 270 degrees
- the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River
- situated in or facing or moving toward the west
- to, toward, or in the west“we moved west to Arizona”“situated west of Boston”
Where does west come from?
Cognate with Scots wast (“west”), North Frisian waast, weest, wäst (“west”), Saterland Frisian Wääste (“west”), West Frisian and Dutch west (“west”), German West (“west”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vest (“west”), Faroe
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with west
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of west.
Questions about saying west
How do you pronounce west?
Say WEST. The American pronunciation is /wɛst/. In British English it is /wɛst/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in west?
West is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WEST.
Do Americans and Brits say west the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /wɛst/ and the British form is /wɛst/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.