One syllable: Pause.
pawz
/pɔz/
Pause is pronounced pawz (/pɔz/). It has one syllable (Pause), with the stress on "Pause". Pause is a temporary stop or break in an activity, thought, or process. It can function as a noun referring to a halted moment, or as a verb meaning to suspend action briefly. In speech, a pause marks a natural break, giving listeners time to process or emphasize upcoming information.
nounPause is a temporary stop or break in an activity, thought, or process. It can function as a noun referring to a halted moment, or as a verb meaning to suspend action briefly. In speech, a pause marks a natural break, giving listeners time to process or emphasize upcoming information.
How to Pronounce Pause
"When you need to think, take a short pause before answering."
"The conductor signaled a pause in the performance."
"She paused to look up the definition."
Pause is pronounced /pɔːz/ in UK and many AU varieties, and /pɔz/ in US English. The initial consonant is a bilabial stop /p/ produced by closing the lips firmly, followed by an open-mid back rounded vowel /ɔː/ (long, like 'aw' in 'saw'), then a voiced alveolar sibilant /z/. In rapid speech, the vowel can become slightly shorter, but the /z/ remains. Mouth position: lips gently rounded for /ɔː/, tongue low-mid back, teeth lightly touching to voice /z/.
Common mistakes: (1) Pronouncing with /æ/ or a short /ɒ/ instead of /ɔː/—practice by shaping a long, rounded back vowel with the jaw lowered. (2) Devoicing the final /z/ as /s/—ensure your vocal cords vibrate for /z/. (3) Dropping the /p/ or making it a weak sound—start with a clean bilabial /p/ release before the vowel. To correct, exaggerate the /p/ release, hold the /ɔː/ length, and finish with a strong /z/ voice, then reduce to natural speed.
In US English, /pɔz/ with a shorter /ɔ/ and a voiced /z/. In UK and AU varieties, /pɔːz/ features a longer, rounded /ɔː/ vowel; the final /z/ remains voiced. US may have rhoticity influence in connected speech, but the word itself is non-rhotic in many dialects when unstressed? No—pause typically keeps /z/; rhoticity affects surrounding vowels more than this word. Overall, main difference is vowel length and quality: short /ɔ/ vs long /ɔː/.
The difficulty lies in the tense, rounded back vowel /ɔ/ and the voiced /z/ cluster at the end. Many native speakers produce a closer, laxed /ə/ or a shortened /ɔ/ in fast speech, blurring the vowel. The transition from bilabial /p/ to the rounded back vowel requires a precise lip rounding and jaw drop, and the final /z/ requires consistent voicing. Practicing with isolation and then in phrases helps anchor the correct tongue and lip configuration.
Pause is a one-syllable word with primary stress on the single syllable by default. There’s no secondary stress in isolation. In connected speech or when used as a discourse marker, the word can take a slightly longer vowel duration in emphasis, but the phonetic target remains /pɔːz/ or /pɔz/ depending on dialect. Ensure your mouth opens to a rounded back vowel and your vocal folds vibrate for the /z/.
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Pause comes from the French pause, from the Latin pausa, from Greek pausis meaning stoppage or cessation. The Latin pausa was borrowed into Old French as pause, retaining the sense of a temporary halt. In English, pause first appeared in the 14th century, preserving a literal sense of stopping motion or speech. Over time, the term expanded to cover not only physical stopping but also temporary suspensions in behavior, music, and discourse. The word’s semantic field broadened in parallel with related terms such as intermission, interval, and cessation, often used in literary and musical contexts. The pronunciation gradually shifted towards a voiced bilabial stop onset followed by a long vowel sound, aligning with similar words like pause and cause; the final /z/ or /s/ sound is often influenced by surrounding phonemes in connected speech. In contemporary usage, pause is a central term in rhetoric and performance, signaling segmentation, emphasis, or thoughtful pacing. First known use in English is documented in the 14th century, reflecting the longstanding human practice of pausing as a communicative tool.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Pause" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Pause" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Pause"
-use sounds
-aws sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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