NATION
How to pronounce
USA
yoo·ehss·AY
American /ˌjuːɛsˈeɪ/
Sound by sound
3 little beats. BIG = the stressed part.
- yoo the ‘yoo’ in cute
- ehss the ‘eh’ in bed
- AY the ‘ay’ in day — say this beat loudest
Talking about USA
The words that trip people up — what to call the team, the people, and the language.
- One person
- an American
- The people / the team
- Americans (the team: the USMNT)
- As an adjective
- American
Said as three letters, U-S-A, with the stress on the last — yoo-ehss-AY. The team is usually just called the USA or the USMNT (the U.S. Men’s National Team); commentators also say “the Yanks”.
Don’t say…
- yoo-EHS-ay (stress on the middle)
- YOO-ess-ay
- yoo·ehss·AY — stress on AY
Where the name comes from
The “America” in United States of America honours Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian navigator who argued the New World was a continent in its own right, not the edge of Asia. In 1507 the German mapmaker Martin Waldseemüller labelled the new land America — the feminine Latin form of Amerigo — to match Europa and Asia, and the name spread from his map.
- Capital
- Washington, D.C.
- Confederation
- CONCACAF
- Best finish
- Third place (1930)
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 USA?
USA is pronounced yoo·ehss·AY in American English — 3 beats, with the stress on AY.
Where does the name USA come from?
The “America” in United States of America honours <strong>Amerigo Vespucci</strong>, the Italian navigator who argued the New World was a continent in its own right, not the edge of Asia. In 1507 the German mapmaker Martin Waldseemüller labelled the new land <em>America</em> — the feminine Latin form of Amerigo — to match Europa and Asia, and the name spread from his map.
Is it spelled USA, U.S.A., or US?
All are used. “USA” and “U.S.A.” are the same; “US” (or “U.S.”) is the shorter form for the country in writing. Spoken, you say the letters: yoo-ehss-AY.