How to Pronounce Not

To pronounce "not", say NOT — one syllable, IPA /nɒt/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.

not

Tap to hear · American accent

Accent

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Speed

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1

Syllable

3

Letters

/nɒt/

IPA

💡 Tip for remembering “not”

"not" is a single-syllable word — say it in one clean beat. It rhymes with fraught and distraught, if that helps it stick.

Sounds exactly like: knot, notte, knott, nott — easy to mix up when writing.

What does not mean?

noun

  1. A unary operation on logical values that changes true to false, and false to true.

adverb

  1. Negates the meaning of the modified verb.

    “Did you take out the trash? No, I did not.”

  2. To no degree.

    “It's not you, it's me.”

conjunction

  1. And not.

    “He painted the car blue and black, not solid purple.”

Synonyms

!~¬ˈ

Hear “not” in real sentences

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

Words that rhyme with not

Practicing rhymes trains the same ending sounds.

fraughtdistraughttautonslaughthottrotknotoverwroughtthoughtblotnoughtspot

Related words

renownedknownfamouscelebratedfamedillustriousnotablenoticeable

Frequently asked questions

How many syllables are in "not"?▾

"Not" has one syllable.

What is the IPA transcription of "not"?▾

The IPA transcription of "not" is /nɒt/.

What does "not" mean?▾

Not: A unary operation on logical values that changes true to false, and false to true.

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