How to pronounce wolf
Say it like WUULF. Wolf 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 wolf. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- WUULF
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Wolf pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WUULFSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in book.
American vs British pronunciation of wolf
American and British speakers say wolf in essentially the same way: /wʊlf/ in the US and /wʊlf/ in the UK.
British respelling: WUULF.
What does wolf mean?
- any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
- Austrian composer (1860-1903)
- German classical scholar who claimed that the Iliad and Odyssey were composed by several authors (1759-1824)
- eat hastily“The teenager wolfed down the pizza”
Where does wolf come from?
Cognate with Scots wouf, North Frisian wulew, Saterland Frisian and German Low German Wulf, West Frisian, Alemannic German, and Dutch wolf, Bavarian bolf, bölf, Woif, Cimbrian and Mòcheno bolf, German Wolf, Luxembourgish Wollef, Vilamovian
Questions about saying wolf
How do you pronounce wolf?
Say WUULF. The American pronunciation is /wʊlf/. In British English it is /wʊlf/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in wolf?
Wolf is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WUULF.
Do Americans and Brits say wolf the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /wʊlf/ and the British form is /wʊlf/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.