American English

How to pronounce waterfall

nounA2
WAWderfawl

/ˈwɔ.ɾɚˌfɔl/

3 syllables · Stress the first syllable.

A place where water falls from a high place to a lower one, often over rocks.

What to listen for

“Waterfall” is commonly pronounced /ˈwɔ.ɾɚˌfɔɫ/. Some American speakers use /ˈwɑ.ɾɚˌfɑɫ/ because they pronounce the vowels in cot and caught alike.

Usual pronunciation/ˈwɔ.ɾɚˌfɔɫ/
Common merged-vowel variant/ˈwɑ.ɾɚˌfɑɫ/
Practice out loud

Meanings & examples

noun

A place where water falls from a high place to a lower one, often over rocks.

We saw a beautiful waterfall near the hiking trail.

The waterfall drops into a small pool.

Common phrases & grammar

a beautiful waterfall · a powerful waterfall · waterfall trail · waterfall tour

a waterfall near + place

see + a/the + waterfall

Related words & forms