How to pronounce "okays" in English
oʊˈkeɪz
oh·KAYZ
Primary stress: KAYZ
Hear native speakers say okays in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “okays”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
oh
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
KAYZ
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("KAYZ"). 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 "okays" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "okays is" sounds like "okays-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "okays" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“okays like our when we split up just now like our role play I mean I was picturing I was picturing you when when you were representing the CBC because it”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“which can turn into something this big if it's Hollow so that's about that's about the size that's why we chose these from a wafer yeah that's right okays”— StanfordWatch clip
“top-down approach where every time you have to uh you know ask somebody for for their okays or ask somebody for their opinion you are empowered you are given”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“right and and Tom Brady knows exactly what that ball feels like and he okays”— CNBCWatch clip
“one of them lived in this house hendrik okays was a retired miner he was 75 years old and diabetic and then my sister told me”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“you're suggesting kind of a trade if President Trump okays Tomahawk missiles to help you launch >> yes it's about military goals It's only”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “okays”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
okays like our when we split up just now like our role play I mean I was picturing I was picturing you when when you were representing the CBC because it
Hear it in context: “okays”
8 clipsThe English word “okays” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as oʊˈkeɪz (phonetic respelling: oh-KAYZ). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (oh · KAYZ), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (KAYZ). Grammatically, “okays” functions as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, interjection and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. SayItVid indexes 8 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “okays” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from MIT OpenCourseWare, Stanford, TEDx Talks.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #1 · @137:11
“town where do you begin with a group like that is that okays like our when we split up just now like our role play I mean I was picturing I was picturing you when when you were representing the CBC because it picturing I was picturing you when when you were representing the CBC because it”
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #2 · @67:22
“um well it's about um if they were smaller it's about this big basically so which can turn into something this big if it's Hollow so that's about that's about the size that's why we chose these from a wafer yeah that's right okays about the size that's why we chose these from a wafer yeah that's right okays”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #3 · @18:47
“so when you feel empowered you feel a part of an organization it is not a top-down approach where every time you have to uh you know ask somebody for for their okays or ask somebody for their opinion you are empowered you are given their okays or ask somebody for their opinion you are empowered you are given”
- 🇺🇸 USCNBCClip #4 · @2:09
“deflated the ball they found out that it was deflated below where it should be right and and Tom Brady knows exactly what that ball feels like and he okays the ball and and and that's that's the bottom line you just said something very”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @0:47
“covet 19 related complications just hours apart one of them lived in this house hendrik okays was a retired miner he was 75 years old and diabetic and then my sister told me was a retired miner he was 75 years old and diabetic and then my sister told me”
Definition & Meaning: “okays”
- Alternative spelling of OK.
- Alternative spelling of OK.
- Alternative spelling of OK.
- Alternative spelling of OK.
- Alternative spelling of OK.
Example Sentences (3)
- “They [the English] turned her [Joan of Arc] over to the mercies of the Church to make sure the murder was a blessed one. All soldiers are superstitious, I suppose. Nobody wanted to kill an obvious saint unless the Church okayed it.”
- “One of us must marry well. Meg didn't, Jo won't, Beth can't yet, so I shall, and make everything okay all round.”
- “okays like our when we split up just now like our role play I mean I was picturing I was picturing you when when you were representing the CBC because it”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “okays”
- Pronunciation:
- oh-KAYZ
- Syllables:
- oh · KAYZ
- Written Hyphenation:
- o · kays
- Primary stress:
- KAYZ
- IPA:
- oʊˈkeɪz
- Hear it in context
- okays
Words that Rhyme with “okays”
-eɪzWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"okays" (⁄oʊˈkeɪz⁄) 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, "okays" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about okays
How do you pronounce “okays”?
“okays” is pronounced ⁄oʊˈkeɪz⁄ (oh-KAYZ). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “okays”?
“okays” has 2 syllables: oh · KAYZ.
Where is the stress in “okays”?
The primary stress in “okays” is on “KAYZ”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “okays” mean?
Alternative spelling of OK.
How can I hear “okays” used in real sentences?
This page has 8 real-world video examples of “okays” 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 “okays”?
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⁄).