How to pronounce both in American English

IPA /boʊθ/ Syllables 1 · bohth Stress 1st syllable

BOHTH

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Americans pronounce both as BOHTH (/boʊθ/). You'll hear it in sentences like "Both teeth" or "Both of them are healthy and strong" — more examples below.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "both".

1 syllable, 3 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

b/b/

Press your lips together, add vocal cord vibration, then release.

oh/oʊ/

Start with your mouth slightly open, then close your jaw slightly as your lips round. Shift your tongue back slightly, then stretch the back up.

th/θ/

Place the very tip of your tongue slightly between your teeth. Blow air gently around it without voicing.

In real conversation

Hear "both" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"Both math and ethics are worth thinking through."

BOHTH MATH and EH·thuhks er WURTH THIHNG·kuhng throo

"Both of them are healthy and strong."

BOHTH uhv dhuhm er HEHL·thee and STRAHNG

"I believe we can reach a compromise that benefits both parties."

ahy buh·LEEV wee kuhn REECH uh KAHM·pruh·mahyz dhuht BEH·nuh·fuhts BOHTH PAR·teez

"I want to check both things off my list."

ahy WAHNT tuh CHEHK BOHTH THIHNGZ AHF mahy LIHST

"The assessment evaluated both knowledge and critical thinking skills."

dhee uh·SEH·smuhnt uh·VAL·yoo·ay·duhd BOHTH NAH·luhj and KRIH·duh·kuhl THIHNG·kuhng SKIHLZ

"The curriculum includes both theoretical lectures and practical assignments."

dhuh kuh·RIH·kyuh·luhm uhn·KLOODZ BOHTH thee·uh·REH·tuh·kuhl LEHK·cherz and PRAK·tuh·kuhl uh·SAHYN·muhnts

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Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "both" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "BOHTH" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.