How To Pronounce Long

long

Phonemic

/lɒŋ/

Phonetic

[lʷɒ̃ŋ]

Phonemic

/lɔːŋ/

In British English, long is pronounced /lɒŋ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [lʷɒ̃ŋ]. In American English, it is pronounced /lɔːŋ/.

Long 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

lɒŋ

Long has one syllable in British English.

long + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/lɒŋz/

/lɔːŋz/

long + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/lɒŋd/

/lɔːŋd/

long + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/. No /ɡ/ is added after /ŋ/ (as in longing).

/ˈlɒŋ.ɪŋ/

/ˈlɔːŋ.ɪŋ/

long + -er

-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English. A /ɡ/ is added after /ŋ/ in the comparative and superlative (longer, longest), but not in -ing (longing).

/ˈlɒŋ.ɡə/

/ˈlɔːŋ.ɡɚ/

long + -est

-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/. A /ɡ/ is added after /ŋ/ in the comparative and superlative (longer, longest), but not in -ing (longing).

/ˈlɒŋ.ɡɪst/

/ˈlɔːŋ.ɡɪst/

Words That Rhyme With Long

Questions About Long

How do you pronounce long in British English?

In British English, long is pronounced /lɒŋ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [lʷɒ̃ŋ].

How do you pronounce long in American English?

In American English, long is pronounced /lɔːŋ/.

Do British and American English pronounce long the same way?

No. British English has /lɒŋ/ and American English has /lɔːŋ/.

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