NATION

How to pronounce
Norway

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NOR·way

American /ˈnɔːr.weɪ/

Sound by sound

2 little beats. BIG = the stressed part.

NOR the ‘or’ in for — say this beat loudest
way the ‘ay’ in day

Talking about Norway

The words that trip people up — what to call the team, the people, and the language.

One person: a Norwegian
The people / the team: Norwegians
As an adjective: Norwegian

The nationality word is Norwegian (nor-WEE-juhn) — note the stress jumps to the middle and a “j” sound appears that isn’t in “Norway”. 2026 is Norway’s first World Cup in 28 years.

Don’t say…

NOR-wahy
noor-WAY
NOR·way — stress on NOR

Where the name comes from

Norway comes from the Old Norse Norðvegr, “the north way” — from norðr (north) and vegr (way) — the coastal sailing route up the western seaboard that the Norse contrasted with the “east way” and “south way”. (A minority theory reads the first part as nór, “narrow”, for the narrow inshore channel.) The native name today is Norge.

Capital: Oslo
Confederation: UEFA
World Cup best: Round of 16 (1998)

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YouGlish — real US broadcast clips Forvo — native speakers

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FAQ

How do you pronounce Norway?

Norway is pronounced NOR·way in American English — 2 beats, with the stress on NOR.

Where does the name Norway come from?

Norway comes from the Old Norse Norðvegr, “the north way” — from norðr (north) and vegr (way) — the coastal sailing route up the western seaboard that the Norse contrasted with the “east way” and “south way”. (A minority theory reads the first part as nór, “narrow”, for the narrow inshore channel.) The native name today is Norge.