How To Pronounce Lock

lock

Phonemic

/lɒk/

Phonetic

[lʷɒk̚]

Phonemic

/lɑːk/

In British English, lock is pronounced /lɒk/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [lʷɒk̚]. In American English, it is pronounced /lɑːk/.

Lock has one syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

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

lɒk

Lock has one syllable in British English.

lock + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /s/ after a voiceless consonant.

/lɒks/

/lɑːks/

lock + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /t/ after a voiceless consonant.

/lɒkt/

/lɑːkt/

lock + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/ˈlɒk.ɪŋ/

/ˈlɑː.kɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Lock

Questions About Lock

How do you pronounce lock in British English?

In British English, lock is pronounced /lɒk/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [lʷɒk̚].

How do you pronounce lock in American English?

In American English, lock is pronounced /lɑːk/.

Do British and American English pronounce lock the same way?

No. British English has /lɒk/ and American English has /lɑːk/.

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