pronounce

American  

[pruh-nouns] / prəˈnaʊns /

verb (used with object)

• pronounces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pronounced,
  past participle,  past
• pronouncing
  present participle

1. to enunciate or articulate (sounds, words, sentences, etc.).

2. to utter or sound in a particular manner in speaking.

   He pronounces his words indistinctly.

3. to utter or articulate in the accepted or correct manner.

   I can't pronounce this word.

4. to declare (a person or thing) to be as specified.

   She pronounced it the best salmon she had ever tasted.

5. to utter or deliver formally or solemnly.

   to pronounce sentence.

6. to announce authoritatively or officially.

   The judge pronounced the defendant guilty.

7. to indicate the pronunciation of (words) by providing a phonetic transcription.

   This dictionary pronounces most of the words entered.

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verb (used without object)

• pronounces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pronounced,
  past participle,  past
• pronouncing
  present participle

1. to pronounce words, phrases, etc.

2. to make a statement or assertion, especially an authoritative statement (often followed byon ).

   He was required to pronounce on the findings of his research.

3. to give an opinion or decision (usually followed byon ).

   to pronounce on an important matter.

4. to indicate the pronunciation of words.

   a spelling book that pronounces.

pronounce British  

/ prəˈnaʊns /

verb

1. to utter or articulate (a sound or sequence of sounds)

2. (tr) to utter or articulate (sounds or words) in the correct way

3. (tr; may take a clause as object) to proclaim officially and solemnly

   I now pronounce you man and wife

4. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to declare as one's judgment

   to pronounce the death sentence upon someone

5. (tr) to make a phonetic transcription of (sounds or words)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pronounceableness
  noun
• pronouncer
  noun
• prepronounce
  verb (used with object)
• pronounceable
  adjective
• unpronounceable
  adjective
• unpronouncing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• pronouncing
  present
• pronounced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pronounce
  simple
• pronounces
  simple
• have pronounced
  perfect
• has pronounced
  perfect
• am pronouncing
  progressive
• are pronouncing
  progressive
• is pronouncing
  progressive
• have been pronouncing
  perfect progressive
• has been pronouncing
  perfect progressive

Past

• pronounced
  simple
• had pronounced
  perfect
• was pronouncing
  progressive
• were pronouncing
  progressive
• had been pronouncing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pronounce
  simple
• will have pronounced
  perfect
• will be pronouncing
  progressive
• will have been pronouncing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pronounce

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pronouncen, from Middle French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiāre “to proclaim, announce, recite, utter”; see pro- ¹, announce

Explanation

If you have a teacher who asks the class to call him "Mr. B," it's probably because his name is really hard to pronounce. When you pronounce a word, you sound it out. When you say something in a particular way, you pronounce it. The verb pronounce has another meaning, too — "to declare formally." It's not too different from announcing something, but it implies something more official and solemn — just think of the phrase "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pronounce pronounces pronounced pronouncing

I asked a few experts in the history of nationalism to pronounce on America’s relative longevity, and discovered that the answer to this question is surprisingly complicated.

From Slate ● Jul. 4, 2026

“By the power that is vested in me, I pronounce that they are husband and wife,” said the officiant on June 5, 1974.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

The amateur wine enthusiast learns to pronounce “gewürztraminer” and cannot resist doing so.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics will then pronounce a traditional blessing at 1000 GMT that will be closely followed this year.

From Barron's ● Apr. 5, 2026

Indeed, she could hardly figure out how to pronounce it.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

One of his sons pronounces the name "Hit-lay", in order to escape embarrassment, and his grandchildren have taken their mothers' names.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

Several years ago, NFL star brothers Jason and Travis Kelce said that everyone pronounces their name incorrectly — but it’s OK because they do too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026

He pronounces the name of Harry’s school nemesis, Draco Malfoy, as Americans do: Mal-foy rather than Mal-foy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

Predictably, the answer is that no one on the Macrodata Refinement team has heard of . . . whatever it is he’s talking about, which he pronounces as glockSHOObin.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2025

She pronounces this word with awe, as if it’s the name of something sacred, and I repeat it silently to myself: chintz.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Rowling pronounced them “heroines” to her tens of millions of social media followers.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

The aircraft was found in a remote location close to Trawsfynydd, near Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, with the two people on board pronounced dead at the scene, North Wales Police said.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

"Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene," it added, noting his next-of-kin had been informed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

This transformation has been especially pronounced at America’s wealthiest and most selective colleges and universities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Because the McKays were just across town from Tom, it meant that Coal was still going to Du Bois Middle, pronounced “Doo Boys,” because it was named for W.E.B., the Black icon.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

New England is ready to absorb Scotland as its seventh state as soon as the Scots agree to stop pronouncing their r’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

Alex Beard told The Times that Chalamet's statement earlier this year pronouncing that "no-one cares" about ballet or opera anymore had produced a "fantastic" public reaction.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

Could his trouble pronouncing acetaminophen be a phonemic paraphasic error?

From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2026

I love the soft way they skid into “seven,” pronouncing it SEV-un, dragging out the “ev” and swallowing the “un.”

From Salon ● May 27, 2024

The class was Remedial Speech, and I accepted my own presence there if only because of the very trouble I had pronouncing it.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Related Words

• assert
• deliver
• proclaim