How To Pronounce Staff

staff

Phonemic

/stɑːf/

Phonetic

[stɑːf]

Phonemic

/stæf/

In British English, staff is pronounced /stɑːf/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [stɑːf]. In American English, it is pronounced /stæf/.

Staff 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

stɑːf

Staff has one syllable in British English.

staff + -s

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

/stɑːfs/

/stæfs/

staff + -ed

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

/stɑːft/

/stæft/

staff + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/ˈstɑː.fɪŋ/

/ˈstæf.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Staff

Questions About Staff

How do you pronounce staff in British English?

In British English, staff is pronounced /stɑːf/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [stɑːf].

How do you pronounce staff in American English?

In American English, staff is pronounced /stæf/.

Do British and American English pronounce staff the same way?

No. British English has /stɑːf/ and American English has /stæf/.

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