How to pronounce own in American English

IPA /oʊn/ Syllables 1 · ohn

ohn

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Americans pronounce own as ohn (/oʊn/). You'll hear it in sentences like "She sews her own clothes using patterns she modifies" or "She makes her own jewelry using beads and silver wire" — more examples below.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "own".

1 syllable, 2 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

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.

n/n/

Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.

In real conversation

Hear "own" in the wild.

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

"He broke his own personal record in the hundred-meter sprint."

hee BROHK hihz ohn PUR·suh·nuhl REH·kerd ihn dhuh HUHN·druhd MEE·der SPRIHNT

"He builds his own computers from individual components."

hee BIHLDZ hihz ohn kuhm·PYOO·derz fruhm ihn·duh·VIH·joo·uhl kuhm·POH·nuhnts

"He writes his own lyrics and composes the melody on his guitar."

hee RAHYTS hihz ohn LEER·uhks and kuhm·POH·zuhz dhuh MEH·luh·dee ahn hihz guh·TAR

"I enjoy visiting art museums to get inspiration for my own work."

ahy uhn·JOY VIH·zuh·tuhng ART myoo·ZEE·uhmz tuh GEHT ihn·spuh·RAY·shuhn fer mahy ohn WURK

"She cited this director as a major influence on her own work."

shee SAHY·duhd dhihs duh·REHK·ter uhz uh MAY·jer IHN·floo·uhns ahn her ohn WURK

"The autoimmune disease causes the body to attack its own tissues."

dhee ah·toh·ih·MYOON duh·ZEEZ KAH·zuhz dhuh BAH·dee tuh uh·TAK ihts ohn TIH·shooz

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Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "own" 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 "ohn" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.