HowPronounceIt is a free browser-based pronunciation dictionary that plays American and British English audio for more than 72,000 words, showing the IPA transcription, syllable stress, phonetic respelling, and definition for each lookup.
What is HowPronounceIt?
HowPronounceIt takes a single English word as input — typed into a search box with autocomplete suggestions — and returns audio playback in both US and UK accents, an IPA transcription, a plain-English phonetic respelling, a syllable breakdown with the stressed syllable highlighted, and numbered dictionary definitions. It runs entirely in a web browser at howpronounceit.com, requires no account, and places no limit on the number of words you can look up. A "Word of the day" panel (the example shown is facade, respelled fuh-SAHD) sits alongside the search field.
What makes HowPronounceIt stand out?
- Dual-accent audio with separate controls — every result embeds American and British recordings, each with its own play button and Slow button, so the two accents can be compared on one page.
- 72,000+ word coverage with spelling correction — start typing and choose from suggested words; a misspelled entry is matched to the closest existing word.
- IPA plus plain-English respelling — results pair formal IPA (for example /fəˈsɑd/ in US English) with an easy-to-read respelling such as tuh-MAY-toh or DY-nuh-sor, where capitals mark the stressed syllable.
- Syllable and stress display — each word is split into syllable tiles, with a legend distinguishing main stress, lighter stress, and unstressed syllables.
- Adjustable voice and speed — choose a female or male voice and set playback to Slow, Normal, or Fast, and choose which accent (US or UK) plays first.
- Definitions and examples — results carry the part of speech, numbered senses, and example sentences where available.
- Themed tricky-word collections — eight curated sets, including silent letters (aisle, debt, doubt), French borrowings (bouquet, genre), food and drink (quinoa, gnocchi, bruschetta), words said differently in the US and UK (garage, ballet, debris), stress traps (hyperbole, epitome, comparable), misleading spellings (colonel, choir, quay), same spelling with two pronunciations (record, present, object), and often-mispronounced words (athlete, nuclear, february).
- My Words list — save difficult words to a personal review list that is stored on your own device rather than on a server.
Who should use HowPronounceIt?
- English learners and ESL students: check the stress pattern and IPA of an unfamiliar word, slow the audio down, and repeat it until their pronunciation matches the recording.
- Teachers and tutors: pull up the US and UK versions of a word side by side to demonstrate accent differences such as tomato, schedule, garage, and vitamin.
- Speakers preparing to say a word aloud: look up names, technical terms, or food words (quinoa, bruschetta, espresso) before a presentation, interview, or reading.
What can you do with HowPronounceIt?
- Language learners: hear a word at slow speed, read the capitalised respelling to find the stressed syllable, then compare a repeat attempt against the audio.
- Public speakers and presenters: verify both American and British forms of a word that differs by region before choosing one for an audience.
- Self-editors and readers: look up a word encountered only in writing — the respelling and IPA show the sounds before the word is ever said out loud.
- Vocabulary reviewers: add hard words to the device-stored My Words list and revisit them later.
How does HowPronounceIt work?
The site describes a three-step loop: type a word and pick it from the suggestions, listen to the American and British audio (optionally at slow speed), then practise aloud while watching the highlighted stressed syllable and comparing your attempt with the recording. Optional guides explain IPA reading, silent letters, word stress, and the schwa sound.
Pricing
HowPronounceIt is free to use, requires no account, and has no cap on the number of words looked up.
FAQ
Is HowPronounceIt free?
Yes. The site states it is free to use, needs no account, and imposes no limit on how many words you can look up. No paid tier or subscription is described on the page.
Can I hear both American and British pronunciation?
Yes. Every result includes separate US and UK audio, each with its own play and Slow buttons, and you can set which accent plays first before searching.
Does it work for words I have only seen written?
Yes. Each result gives a phonetic respelling in plain letters, with the stressed syllable capitalised (DY-nuh-sor for dinosaur), plus IPA for the exact sounds.
Can I slow the audio down?
Yes. Click Slow next to either accent, or set the speed to Slow before searching so every word plays at a slower pace. A Fast setting and a female or male voice choice are also available.
Does it remember the words I save?
The My Words feature stores your saved list on your own device rather than in a server-side account, so the list stays local to that browser.
