How to Pronounce Southern

To pronounce "southern", say SOUTH-ern — 2 syllables, IPA /ˈsəðɝn/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.

southern

Tap to hear · American accent

Accent

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Speed

Syllable by syllable — tap each one

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2

Syllables

8

Letters

/ˈsəðɝn/

🇺🇸 IPA (US)

/sˈʌðən/

🇬🇧 IPA (UK)

💡 Tip for remembering “southern”

Break "southern" into 2 beats and lean on "SOUTH" — that's the stressed one. It rhymes with cothern, if that helps it stick.

What does southern mean?

noun

  1. Someone from one of the states which seceded in 1861 and briefly formed the Confederate States of America, or, more broadly, from some neighboring states as well (but excluding geographically-southerly states like Arizona); compare the South.

adjective

  1. Of, facing, situated in, or related to the south.
  2. Of or pertaining to a southern region, especially Southern Europe or the southern United States.

    “The southern climate.”

noun

  1. A native or inhabitant of the south of a region (or of the world as a whole), such as the United Kingdom.

Synonyms

Southronaustralmeridionalsoutherlysouthron

Antonyms

NorthernerYankeeborealnorthernseptentrionalnortherner

Hear “southern” 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 southern

Practicing rhymes trains the same ending sounds.

cothern

Related words

meridionalaustralconfederatesouthsoutherlygraygreyrebel

Frequently asked questions

How many syllables are in "southern"?▾

"Southern" has 2 syllables: south · ern.

What is the IPA transcription of "southern"?▾

The IPA transcription of "southern" is /ˈsəðɝn/.

What does "southern" mean?▾

Southern: Someone from one of the states which seceded in 1861 and briefly formed the Confederate States of America, or, more broadly, from some neighboring states as well (but excluding geographically-southerly states like Arizona); compare the South.

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