How to pronounce widow
Say it like WID-oh. Widow has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (WID).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce widow. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- WID
- oh
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Widow pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WIDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- ohKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of widow
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: WID-oh.
What does widow mean?
- a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
- cause to be without a spouse“The war widowed many women in the former Yugoslavia”
Where does widow come from?
Cognate with Scots weedae, wedow, widdow (“widow”), Cimbrian bittaba (“widow”), Dutch weduwe, weeuw (“widow”), German Witwe (“widow”), Vilamovian wytwa (“widow”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍅𐍉 (widuwō, “widow”), Old Irish fedb (“widow”), Welsh gweddw (“wid
Questions about saying widow
How do you pronounce widow?
Say WID-oh. The American pronunciation is /ˈwɪdoʊ/. In British English it is /ˈwɪdəʊ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in widow?
Widow has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (WID). Broken into parts: WID · oh.
Is widow pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh". The British form is /ˈwɪdəʊ/ (WID-oh).