z/z/
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How to pronounce zero in American English
ZEE·roh
Start here
Americans pronounce zero as ZEE-roh (/ˈziroʊ/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "Zero zone" or "Zero zones were frozen in the crazy maze" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "zero".
2 syllables, 4 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
ee/i/
Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.
r/r/
Curl or bunch your tongue without letting the tip touch the roof of your mouth. Brace the sides of your tongue against your upper back teeth, and round your lips slightly.
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.
In real conversation
Hear "zero" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"Astronauts float in zero gravity aboard the space station."
A·struh·nahts FLOHT ihn ZEE·roh GRA·vuh·dee uh·BORD dhuh SPAYS STAY·shuhn
"The company has a zero tolerance policy for safety violations."
dhuh KUHM·puh·nee huhz uh ZEE·roh TAH·ler·uhns PAH·luh·see fer SAYF·tee vahy·uh·LAY·shuhnz
"Zero zone."
ZEE·roh ZOHN
"Zero zones were frozen in the crazy maze."
ZEE·roh ZOHNZ wer FROH·zuhn ihn dhuh KRAY·zee MAYZ
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Watch out
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
01
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch ZEE — keep everything else short and quick.
zee·ROH→ZEE·roh
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "zero" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "ZEE" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "ZEE-roh" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "zero" 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 "ZEE-roh" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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