How many syllables are in “world”?

“World” has 1 syllable: wurld.

What is the IPA for “world”?

The American English IPA transcription of “world” is wɝld.

How can I practice pronouncing “world”?

Press play to hear “world” 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 world

/wɝld/wurld1 syllable

“world” turns on the American R — the sound that most shapes a neutral accent. It's a single syllable, 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 world, 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.
/ɝ / ɚ/as in nurse
The American rhotic vowel. Curl tongue tip up and back without touching the roof.
/l/as in love
Tongue tip at gum ridge. At the end of a syllable ('feel'), the tongue body also pulls back — the dark L.

Trickier for some first languages

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

Russian speakers →Indian English speakers →Chinese speakers →

Common questions

How many syllables are in “world”?: “World” has 1 syllable: wurld.
What is the IPA for “world”?: The American English IPA transcription of “world” is wɝld.
How can I practice pronouncing “world”?: Press play to hear “world” 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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