How To Pronounce Close
close
stress changesVerb
UK
Phonemic
/kləʊz/
Phonetic
[kl̥əʊz]
US
Phonemic
/kloʊz/
Adjective, adverb
UK
Phonemic
/kləʊs/
Phonetic
[kl̥əʊs]
US
Phonemic
/kloʊs/
Close has more than one pronunciation, depending on how it is used.
Verb. It is /kləʊz/ in British English and /kloʊz/ in American English.
Adjective, adverb. It is /kləʊs/ in British English and /kloʊs/ in American English.
Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.
Syllables, Stress And Endings
Syllables And Stress (Verb)
kləʊz
Close has one syllable in British English.
close + -s
-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /ɪz/ after /s, z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/.
UK
/ˈkləʊ.zɪz/
US
/ˈkloʊ.zɪz/
close + -ed
-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.
UK
/kləʊzd/
US
/kloʊzd/
close + -ing
-ing is always /ɪŋ/.
UK
/ˈkləʊ.zɪŋ/
US
/ˈkloʊ.zɪŋ/
Syllables And Stress (Adjective, adverb)
kləʊs
Close has one syllable in British English.
close + -er
-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English.
UK
/ˈkləʊ.sə/
US
/ˈkloʊ.sɚ/
close + -est
-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/.
UK
/ˈkləʊ.sɪst/
US
/ˈkloʊ.sɪst/
Words That Rhyme With Close
Questions About Close
How do you pronounce close in British English?
Verb, /kləʊz/. Adjective, adverb, /kləʊs/.
How do you pronounce close in American English?
Verb, /kloʊz/. Adjective, adverb, /kloʊs/.
More Words Where The Stress Changes
Nearby Words
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