How to Pronounce Down

To pronounce "down", say DOWN — one syllable, IPA /daʊn/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.

down

Tap to hear · American accent

Accent

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Speed

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Syllable

Letters

/daʊn/

IPA

"down" is a single-syllable word — say it in one clean beat. It rhymes with frown and crown, if that helps it stick.

Sounds exactly like: downe — easy to mix up when writing.

noun

A negative aspect; a downer.
“I love almost everything about my job. The only down is that I can't take Saturdays off.”
A grudge (on someone).

verb

To knock (someone or something) down; to cause to come down, to fell.
“A single rifle shot downed the mighty beast.”
To lower; to put (something) down.
“The bell rang for lunch, and the workers downed their tools.”

adjective

Sad, unhappy, depressed, feeling low.
“Mary seems very down since she split up with her boyfriend.”
(normally in the combination 'down with') Sick or ill.
“He is down with the flu.”

Real example sentences from Tatoeba (CC-BY) — tap to hear each one, or see it used on YouGlish.

Practicing rhymes trains the same ending sounds.

How many syllables are in "down"?▾

"Down" has one syllable.

What is the IPA transcription of "down"?▾

The IPA transcription of "down" is /daʊn/.

What does "down" mean?▾

Down: A negative aspect; a downer.

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