Other forms: pronounced, pronouncing, pronounces
To pronounce a word is to make its sounds. Pronounce it correctly, how do you pronounce that, hard to pronounce.
The noun is pronunciation, which is spelled without the o of pronounce — one of the most commonly misspelled words in English. The second sense is formal and means to declare officially: pronounce judgement, pronounced dead at the scene, I now pronounce you married. Note pronounced as an adjective, meaning noticeable and strong: a pronounced limp, a pronounced improvement.
1verbpronounceTo make the sounds of a word.
“Nobody in the office could pronounce her surname.”
2verbdeclareTo declare something officially.
“He was pronounced dead at about four in the morning.”
pronounce is a way of saying or declaring.
Latin pronuntiare is pro-, forth, plus nuntiare, to announce — from nuntius, a messenger. Announce, denounce and pronounce are the same verb, and pronouncing a word is announcing it forth.
Middle English
pronouncen — to utter, declare officially
English, today
pronounce
Built from
From Middle English pronouncen (“to utter, declare officially”). Recorded since c.1330 as Middle English pronouncen (“to utter, declare officially”), from Old French prononcier, from Latin prōnūntiō, itself from pro (“forth, out, in public”) + nūntiō (“to announce”) from nūntius (“messenger”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA