How to Pronounce Lost

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

lost

Tap to hear · American accent

Accent

If an accent sounds the same, your device is missing that voice — it falls back to the closest one.

Speed

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying lost, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Syllable

Letters

/lɒst/

IPA

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

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

verb

To cause (something) to cease to be in one's possession or capability due to unfortunate or unknown circumstances, events or reasons.
“He lost his hearing in the explosion.”
To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to find; to go astray from.
“I lost my way in the forest.”

adjective

Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way.
“The children were soon lost in the forest.”
In an unknown location; unable to be found.
“Deep beneath the ocean, the Titanic was lost to the world.”

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 "lost"?▾

"Lost" has one syllable.

What is the IPA transcription of "lost"?▾

The IPA transcription of "lost" is /lɒst/.

What does "lost" mean?▾

Lost: To cause (something) to cease to be in one's possession or capability due to unfortunate or unknown circumstances, events or reasons.

Want the definition, translations into 8 languages, and read-aloud for full sentences?