How To Pronounce Slow

slow

Phonemic

/sləʊ/

Phonetic

[sləʊ]

Phonemic

/sloʊ/

In British English, slow is pronounced /sləʊ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [sləʊ]. In American English, it is pronounced /sloʊ/.

Slow 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

sləʊ

Slow has one syllable in British English.

slow + -s

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

/sləʊz/

/sloʊz/

slow + -ed

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

/sləʊd/

/sloʊd/

slow + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/ˈsləʊ.ɪŋ/

/ˈsloʊ.ɪŋ/

slow + -er

-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English.

/ˈsləʊ.ə/

/ˈsloʊ.ɚ/

slow + -est

-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/.

/ˈsləʊ.ɪst/

/ˈsloʊ.ɪst/

Words That Rhyme With Slow

Questions About Slow

How do you pronounce slow in British English?

In British English, slow is pronounced /sləʊ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [sləʊ].

How do you pronounce slow in American English?

In American English, slow is pronounced /sloʊ/.

Do British and American English pronounce slow the same way?

No. British English has /sləʊ/ and American English has /sloʊ/.

Search All 10,380 Words In The App

Nearby Words

Learn English and Literature with Adroit Tutors on our website, and order course materials there too.