How to Pronounce "Housework" in British English

housework /ˈhaʊswɜːk/

Say housework the British way: the /aʊ/ glide in house, a light voiceless /s/, the long non-rhotic /ɜː/ in work, and stress on the first syllable. Then use it naturally in everyday British phrases.

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Key points

  1. housework

    Usage

    Housework means the everyday jobs of running a home: cleaning, washing, tidying the kitchen. In British English it is an uncountable noun.

    泛指家里那一堆杂活：打扫、洗衣、收拾厨房等等。英式口语里是不可数名词。

    e.g. I did all the housework before lunch.

  2. house

    /haʊs/Pronunciation

    In British English, house is /haʊs/. The vowel is the diphthong /aʊ/: open wide as for 'ah', then glide towards a rounded 'oo'. It ends in a voiceless /s/ with no buzz in the throat.

    英式 house 读 /haʊs/：/aʊ/ 是双元音，嘴型由“啊”收到“乌”；结尾是清辅音 /s/，气流平出、喉咙不振动。中文“豪斯”两处都要调。

    e.g. hows (light 's', no buzzing)

  3. the ow vowel

    /aʊ/Pronunciation

    Start with a wide-open mouth, then round the lips quickly as you glide, as in now, cow and out. If your lips stay flat, the /aʊ/ never arrives.

    嘴先张大发“啊”，再迅速收圆滑向“乌”，像 now、cow、out。中文习惯把 house 读成扁平的“豪斯”，嘴不收圆，/aʊ/ 就不到位。

    e.g. ow, ow — as in now, cow, out

  4. the final /s/

    /s/Pronunciation

    House ends in /s/, not /z/. Rest a finger on your throat: a correct /s/ has no vibration. If you feel a buzz, you are saying /z/, as in the verb 'to house'.

    house 结尾是清辅音 /s/，不是 /z/。把手放在喉咙前：/s/ 没有任何嗡嗡的震动，一旦发成“zzzz”就说明读错了。

    e.g. house, house — just 's', no buzzing

  5. work

    /wɜːk/Pronunciation🔒 Premium

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  6. housework

    /ˈhaʊswɜːk/Pronunciation🔒 Premium

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  7. loads of housework

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  8. do the housework / doing the housework

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  9. I was going to … but I ended up …

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  10. some housework / a lot of housework

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  11. housework vs homework

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Watch the mouth: British vs American

Play housework in each accent. Switch to the tongue view to see where the tongue goes, and notice how the head follows each accent’s intonation.

Practise these sounds