One syllable: Gasp.
gasp
/ɡæsp/
Gasp is pronounced gasp (/ɡæsp/). It has one syllable (Gasp), with the stress on "Gasp". Gasp is a single-syllable noun referring to a sudden, sharp intake of breath, often in surprise, pain, or shock. It denotes the act itself rather than the sound’s duration, and can also describe a brief, audible breath. In everyday use, it often implies a dramatic or involuntary reaction that interrupts continuous breathing or speech.
nounGasp is a single-syllable noun referring to a sudden, sharp intake of breath, often in surprise, pain, or shock. It denotes the act itself rather than the sound’s duration, and can also describe a brief, audible breath. In everyday use, it often implies a dramatic or involuntary reaction that interrupts continuous breathing or speech.
How to Pronounce Gasp
"- She let out a loud gasp when the door slammed shut."
"- A gasp escaped him upon seeing the astonishment in her eyes."
"- The crowd gasped in unison as the curtain rose."
Gasp is pronounced with a single syllable: /ɡæsp/. Start with /ɡ/ as in 'go,' then the short /æ/ like the 'a' in 'cat,' followed by a crisp /s/ and a final voiceless /p/. The peak stress is on the entire syllable; there’s no secondary stress. Make sure the /p/ is released cleanly to avoid an audible stop-murmur. Listen to native input and practice saying ‘gasp’ in quick bursts to achieve a tight, explosive ending.
Common errors include an elongated vowel like /eɪ/ or a muffled final /p/. Some speakers unvoiced the /s/ or add a trailing vowel after /p/, turning it into /ɡæspə/ or /ɡæspp/. To correct: keep the vowel short and crisp, end with a strong /p/ release, and ensure the /s/ is a clear, sibilant before the final plosive. Practice short bursts with a slight puff of air as you release the /p/ to mimic natural breathlessness.
Across US, UK, and AU, the core /ɡæsp/ remains constant; differences are subtle. In some US dialects, the /æ/ may be a slightly lower or tenser vowel, while in certain UK varieties the /æ/ can be slightly longer before the /s/. Australian speakers may exhibit a more centralized /æ/ and a crisper /p/ release. The rhotics do not affect ‘gasp,’ but vowel quality and tempo of the final consonants can shift slightly with rhythm and breath control in each accent.
The challenge is not the word’s consonants but the precise timing of the vowel and the final plosive. You want a short, tense /æ/ before a crisp /s/ and a clean /p/ release, without trailing vowel or voicing on /p/. Some learners over-lengthen the vowel or voice the /p/ slightly, turning it into /pɪ/. Focusing on a quick mouth transition from the vowel to the /s/ and then a sharp release helps nail the natural gasping feel.
In American English, the /s/ before the final /p/ is typically unaspirated because the following /p/ is a voiceless aspirated stop in many dialects, but the sequence still registers as a quick, unvoiced sibilant transition. The key is to maintain a clean, voiceless /s/ and then release the /p/ with a small burst of air. Do not add extra voice to /s/ or extend the duration of the consonant cluster.
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Gasp comes from Middle English gaspen, a verb meaning to blow or puff, with roots likely in Old Norse or Germanic languages where the verb carried notions of blowing out air. The noun form emerged from the verb as the act of drawing a sudden breath, capturing the instantaneous, audible intake that defines the sound. Historically, gasping was tied to emotional extremes—surprise, fear, pain—before narrowing to a generic description of a sharp inhalation. By the early modern period, ‘gasp’ appeared in printed English to describe both the breath itself and the audible exclamation that accompanies it, often used in dramatic or medical contexts to convey a moment of shock or breathlessness. The word’s simplicity—one syllable, the short “a” vowel, and a soft “p” at the end—made it highly portable across dialects, preserving its core sense while expanding its figurative usage in literature and speech across centuries.
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Words that rhyme with "Gasp"
-asp sounds
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