How many syllables are in “water”?

“Water” has 2 syllables: WAH-ter.

What is the IPA for “water”?

The American English IPA transcription of “water” is ˈwɔtər.

How can I practice pronouncing “water”?

Press play to hear “water” spoken by our AI model, then record yourself on this page to get an instant pronunciation score — your first try needs no account.

American English pronunciation

How to pronounce water

/ˈwɔtər/WAH-ter2 syllables

“water” turns on the American R — the sound that most shapes a neutral accent. It's 2 syllables (WAH-ter), and the trick is in the sounds below — hear it, then say it back and let our AI model show you how close you landed.

Say it & get scored

Hear water, then record yourself and our AI model will score your pronunciation, sound by sound.

The sounds to nail

/w/as in we
Round and protrude lips, glide to the next vowel.
/t/as in two
Voiceless tongue-tip stop. Between vowels, American English flaps it ('water' → 'wad-er').
/ɝ / ɚ/as in nurse
The American rhotic vowel. Curl tongue tip up and back without touching the roof.

Trickier for some first languages

The sounds in “water” are common stumbling blocks for speakers of:

Russian speakers →Indian English speakers →Chinese speakers →

Common questions

How many syllables are in “water”?: “Water” has 2 syllables: WAH-ter.
What is the IPA for “water”?: The American English IPA transcription of “water” is ˈwɔtər.
How can I practice pronouncing “water”?: Press play to hear “water” spoken by our AI model, then record yourself on this page to get an instant pronunciation score — your first try needs no account.

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