How to pronounce yawn
Say it like YAWN. Yawn 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 yawn. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- YAWN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Yawn pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- YAWNSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of yawn
American and British speakers say yawn in essentially the same way: /jɔn/ in the US and /jɔːn/ in the UK.
British respelling: YAWN.
What does yawn mean?
- The action of yawning; opening the mouth widely and taking a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired or bored.
- A particularly boring event.“The slideshow we sat through was such a yawn. I was glad when it finished.”
- To open the mouth widely and take a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired or bored, and sometimes accompanied by pandiculation.“I could see my students yawning, so I knew the lesson was boring them.”
- To say while yawning.
- To present a wide opening; gape.“The canyon yawns as it has done for millions of years, and we stand looking, dumbstruck.”
Words that rhyme with yawn
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of yawn.
Questions about saying yawn
How do you pronounce yawn?
Say YAWN. The American pronunciation is /jɔn/. In British English it is /jɔːn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in yawn?
Yawn is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: YAWN.
Do Americans and Brits say yawn the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /jɔn/ and the British form is /jɔːn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.