How to pronounce what
Say it like WUHT. What 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 what. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- WUHT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
What pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WUHTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
American vs British pronunciation of what
American and British speakers say what in essentially the same way: /wʌt/ in the US and /wɒt/ in the UK.
British respelling: WOT.
What does what mean?
- Which, especially which of an open-ended set of possibilities.“What color are you going to use?”
- Which.“I wonder what color he is going to use.”
- Any ... that; all ... that; whatever.“He seems to have lost what sense he had.”
- Which thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used in asking for the specification of an identity, quantity, quality, etc.“Hammer in that nail, What with? I didn't bring my set of tools.”
- That which; those that; the thing(s) that.“He knows what he wants and what to do to get it.”
- Anything that; all that; whatever.“I will do what I can to help you.”
- In what way; to what extent.“What does it matter?”
- Used before a prepositional phrase to emphasize that something is taken into consideration as a cause or reason; usually used in combination with 'with' (see what with), and much less commonly with other prepositions.
Words that rhyme with what
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of what.
Questions about saying what
How do you pronounce what?
Say WUHT. The American pronunciation is /wʌt/. In British English it is /wɒt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in what?
What is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WUHT.
Do Americans and Brits say what the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /wʌt/ and the British form is /wɒt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.