How to pronounce who
Say it like HOO. Who 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 who. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HOO
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Who pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HOOSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of who
American and British speakers say who in essentially the same way: /hu/ in the US and /huː/ in the UK.
British respelling: HOO.
What does who mean?
- What person or people; which person or people; asks for the identity of someone; used in a direct or indirect question.“Who says they care?, They themselves do.”
- With antecedent as subject.
- With antecedent as object: whom.“That's the man who I saw earlier.”
- A person under discussion; a question of which person.
Words that rhyme with who
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of who.
Questions about saying who
How do you pronounce who?
Say HOO. The American pronunciation is /hu/. In British English it is /huː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in who?
Who is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: HOO.
Do Americans and Brits say who the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /hu/ and the British form is /huː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.