Allow (verb): to give permission or consent for something, or to permit a process or action to happen. It can also mean to let something occur or to admit something as true. In usage, it often expresses granting rights or opportunities, or making allowances within rules or circumstances.
"The teacher will allow extra time for the exam if you have a valid excuse."
"You are allowed to use a notebook during the interview, as long as it stays closed."
"The software update will allow users to access new features."
"Her savings will allow them to travel more freely this year."
Allow originates from Old French aler, which meant to send or admit, from Latin ad- (toward, to) and late (carry, bear). In Middle English, it evolved through Anglo-Norman usage as alowen to mean to admit or grant. By the 14th century, it had taken on the sense of permitting something to happen, not merely allowing passage. The modern sense of giving permission or making allowances solidified in Early Modern English, aligning with the legal and administrative language of granting rights or exemptions. The word traversed semantic fields—from enabling action to conceding exceptions—yet retained its core sense of permitting, aligning with related forms like allowance and allowed. First known uses appear in legal and ecclesiastical Latin-derived phrases transmitted through Norman-French across English lawcourts and clerical writing, eventually permeating everyday speech and formal policy language. Over time, “allow” broadened to cover passive permission (it is allowed) and active facilitation (the road allows you to bypass the town). In contemporary use, it sits among verbs of permission and facilitation, widely used in both formal and informal registers, with collocations such as allow access, allow time, allow for, and allow someone to do something.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Allow" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Allow" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Allow"
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Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Allow is pronounced with a schwa initial in many dialects: /əˈlaʊ/. The primary stress is on the second syllable: a-LOW. The vowel sequence in the second syllable forms the /aʊ/ diphthong, moving from an open front unrounded vowel to a near-close near-back rounded position. Keep the mouth relaxed at the start (/ə/), then raise the tongue and widen the jaw to glide into /laʊ/. In careful speech, you lift into the /l/ immediately before the diphthong without a preceding full vowel. A quick reference: US /əˈlaʊ/, UK /əˈlaʊ/, AU /əˈlaʊ/. Audio examples from Pronounce or Forvo can help you hear the placement at the syllable boundary.
Common errors: 1) Pronouncing it as a single flat vowel /laʊ/ without the initial schwa, which reduces the word to a monosyllable; 2) Misplacing stress, saying /ˈaʊlə/ with the stress on the first syllable; 3) Overpronouncing the second syllable, making it sound like /lɑʊ/ rather than /laʊ/. Correction: start with a light /ə/ (schwa), put primary stress on the second syllable, and glide quickly into /laʊ/; keep the /l/ light and the /aʊ/ diphthong compact. Practicing with a slow-to-fast scale helps embed the natural rhythm.
In US, UK, and AU, the core /əˈlaʊ/ pattern remains, but rhoticity and vowel clarity vary. US English maintains rhoticity lightly in connected speech; the /ɚ/ is not present, but the initial schwa remains. UK English tends to be non-rhotic; you’ll hear a clear /ə/ and a bright /aʊ/ diphthong with less postvocalic coloring. Australian English is non-rhotic with a slightly broader, more centralized /ə/ and a crisp /aʊ/ that may sound more centralized. IPA: US /əˈlaʊ/, UK /əˈlaʊ/, AU /əˈlaʊ/; practice listening to samples in Pronounce and YouGlish to feel the subtle resonance differences.
The difficulty comes from the combination of a weak initial syllable and a strong second syllable with a consonant onset (/l/) followed by the /aʊ/ diphthong. The /ə/ must be brief and Schwa-like, while the /laʊ/ requires a rapid vowel glide from /a/ to /ʊ/ within a tight timing span. New learners often merge the syllables or misplace the diphthong, producing /ˈeɪlaʊ/ or /əˈlɑʊ/. Focusing on a clear brief /ə/ and a tight /aɪ/-like glide helps stabilize the sound.
No separate consonant sound lands as a distinct /w/ in most accents; the final sound is a diphthong ending in /ʊ/ quality, but phonemically it is the glide within the /aʊ/ diphthong. The word ends with the rounded off glide into the /ʊ/ portion of the /aʊ/ sequence, so you don’t articulate a separate /w/ after /la/. Focus on the /aʊ/ movement and the final tongue position rather than a trailing /w/ sound.
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