How to pronounce "lights going out" in English
ˌlaɪtsˌɡoʊ.ɪŋˈaʊt
lyts·goh·ing·OWT
Primary stress: OWT
Hear native speakers say lights going out in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “lights going out”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
lyts
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
goh
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ing
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
OWT
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
Primary emphasis falls on the fourth syllable ("OWT"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "lights going out" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "lights going out is" sounds like "lights going out-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "lights going out" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Only instead of the lights going out,”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“machines there's always lights going out there's uh coils burning out uh these”— WIREDWatch clip
“wondering if if uh I guess I guess the question there the broader question was about how many how much is the lights going out in the bedroom?”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“talking about a$ 15 billion do saving you're going to see lights going out as a result of that but the president has also been talking about expanding the”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“earlier while the lights going out on Blackpool”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“know, the term comes from all the lights going out.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “lights going out”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Only instead of the lights going out,
Hear it in context: “lights going out”
13 clipsThe English word “lights going out” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌlaɪtsˌɡoʊ.ɪŋˈaʊt (phonetic respelling: lyts-goh-ing-OWT). Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (lyts · goh · ing · OWT), with primary lexical stress placed on the 4th syllable (OWT). Grammatically, “lights going out” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 13 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “lights going out” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks, WIRED.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @4:42
“much thought. But this time, when I looked at it, bam! It was like a solid right hook punch to my brain. Only instead of the lights going out, my brain. Only instead of the lights going out,”
- 🇺🇸 USWIREDClip #2 · @2:16
“people will kick them that's hard for me to talk about I mean they abuse po ball machines there's always lights going out there's uh coils burning out uh these things get loose cuz remember this thing just pounding constantly I used to worry”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @93:21
“where you've got that almost sex addiction behavior, um I'm just wondering if if uh I guess I guess the question there the broader question was about how many how much is the lights going out in the bedroom? Does it relate about how many how much is the lights going out in the bedroom? Does it relate”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @1:18
“federal buildings and I think when you're talking about a$ 15 billion do saving you're going to see lights going out as a result of that but the president has also been talking about expanding the a result of that but the president has also been talking about expanding the”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @1:05
“reach 15 km into the night sky to Blackpool we saw the tower earlier while the lights going out on Blackpool Tower such a powerful symbol of the respect and the reverence and the”
Definition & Meaning: “lights going out”
- A state or condition in which artificial illumination is completely turned off or fails.
Example Sentences (3)
- “The sudden lightsgoingout left the entire stadium in pitch darkness.”
- “bam! It was like a solid right hook punch to my brain. Only instead of the lights going out,”
- “machines there's always lights going out there's uh coils burning out uh these”
Pronounce: “lights going out”
- Pronunciation:
- lyts-goh-ing-OWT
- Syllables:
- lyts · goh · ing · OWT
- Written Hyphenation:
- lights · go · ing · out
- Primary stress:
- OWT
- IPA:
- ˌlaɪtsˌɡoʊ.ɪŋˈaʊt
- Hear it in context
- lights going out
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"lights going out" (⁄ˌlaɪtsˌɡoʊ.ɪŋˈaʊt⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "lights going out" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about lights going out
How do you pronounce “lights going out”?
“lights going out” is pronounced ⁄ˌlaɪtsˌɡoʊ.ɪŋˈaʊt⁄ (lyts-goh-ing-OWT). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “lights going out”?
“lights going out” has 4 syllables: lyts · goh · ing · OWT.
Where is the stress in “lights going out”?
The primary stress in “lights going out” is on “OWT”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “lights going out” mean?
A state or condition in which artificial illumination is completely turned off or fails.
How can I hear “lights going out” used in real sentences?
This page has 13 real-world video examples of “lights going out” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “lights going out”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).