How to pronounce "thou" in EnglishNoun
ðaʊ
DHOW
Primary stress: DHOW
We haven’t indexed spoken video clips for this word in our library yet. You can listen to its audio pronunciation, review phonetic IPA, and check definitions below.
No video clips indexed yet for “thou”
We haven’t indexed spoken video clips for this word in our library yet. You can listen to its audio pronunciation, review phonetic IPA, and check definitions below.
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “thou”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
DHOW
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
As a single-syllable word, "thou" receives full primary stress when spoken in isolation, though it may take a reduced weak form in connected speech when acting as a function word.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Many learners substitute "th" with "s", "z", "t", or "d".
How Native Speakers Say It: Place the flat blade of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower incisors. Blow air gently without vocal chord vibration to produce the unvoiced ⁄θ⁄ sound.
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "thou" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Practice Speaking “thou”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
[...] Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall giue thee light.
Hear it in context: “thou”
The English word “thou” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ðaʊ (phonetic respelling: DHOW). Phonologically, it consists of 1 syllable (DHOW), pronounced as a single stressed monosyllable. Grammatically, “thou” functions as a pronoun, verb, noun, adverb, conjunction and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. Hear native speakers say thou in context across real video clips
Definition & Meaning: “thou”
- Nominative singular of ye (“you”).
- To address (a person) using the pronoun thou, especially as an expression of contempt or familiarity.
- To use the word thou.
- A unit of length equal to one thousandth of an inch (25.4 µm).
- Misspelling of though.
- Misspelling of though.
Example Sentences (2)
- “[...] Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall giue thee light.”
- “Don’t thou them as thous thee! – a Yorkshire English admonition to overly familiar children”
Pronounce: “thou”
- Pronunciation:
- DHOW
- Syllables:
- DHOW
- Written Hyphenation:
- thou
- Primary stress:
- DHOW
- IPA:
- ðaʊ
- Hear it in context
- thou
Synonyms: “thou”
Hear words related in meaning to “thou” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “thou”
-aʊWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"thou" (⁄ðaʊ⁄) 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, "thou" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about thou
How do you pronounce “thou”?
“thou” is pronounced ⁄ðaʊ⁄ (DHOW). Listen to the audio pronunciation above to hear it spoken clearly.
Where is the stress in “thou”?
The primary stress in “thou” is on “DHOW”.
What does “thou” mean?
Nominative singular of ye (“you”).
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “thou”?
Many learners substitute "th" with "s", "z", "t", or "d". Place the flat blade of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower incisors. Blow air gently without vocal chord vibration to produce the unvoiced ⁄θ⁄ sound.