NATION
How to pronounce
Iran
ih·RAHN
Native [ʔiˈɾɒn] → American /ɪˈrɑːn/
Sound by sound
2 little beats. BIG = the stressed part.
- ih the ‘ih’ in sit
- RAHN the ‘ah’ in father — say this beat loudest
Talking about Iran
The words that trip people up — what to call the team, the people, and the language.
- One person
- an Iranian
- The people / the team
- Iranians (the team: <em>Team Melli</em>)
- As an adjective
- Iranian
- The language
- Persian (Farsi)
The language is Persian, which its own speakers call Farsi — there is no language called “Iranian”. The national team is widely known as Team Melli, Persian for “the national team”.
Like a local vs like an American
Don’t say…
- ahy-RAN (rhyming with “ran”)
- AHY-ran
- ih-RAYN
- ih·RAHN — stress on RAHN
Where the name comes from
Iran means “land of the Aryans” — from the Old Iranian arya-, the self-name of the ancient Iranian peoples. Iranians have called their land Ērān / Iran for well over a thousand years; what changed is the outside world’s habit. In 1935 the government formally asked other countries to use “Iran” instead of “Persia”, the Western name that came from the southern province of Pars (Fars).
- Capital
- Tehran
- Confederation
- AFC
- World Cups
- 7th (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026)
Hear it for real
Say it out loud — and check it.
SayWaader listens to your pronunciation and tells you exactly what to fix, syllable by syllable.
Practice in the appFAQ
How do you pronounce Iran?
Iran is pronounced ih·RAHN in American English — 2 beats, with the stress on RAHN.
Where does the name Iran come from?
Iran means “land of the Aryans” — from the Old Iranian <em>arya-</em>, the self-name of the ancient Iranian peoples. Iranians have called their land <em>Ērān</em> / Iran for well over a thousand years; what changed is the outside world’s habit. In 1935 the government formally asked other countries to use “Iran” instead of “Persia”, the Western name that came from the southern province of Pars (Fars).
Is Iran the same as Persia?
Yes — same country. Iranians have long called it Iran (“land of the Aryans”); “Persia” was the name the West used until 1935, when the government asked the world to switch to Iran. The people and language are still called Persian.