Accent LabYour browser has no British voice installed, so playback may sound American. On iPhone and Mac, add one in Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices → English (UK).
Why "class" sounds different in British English
RP has /klɑːs/, with a long back vowel. American English has /klæs/, the front vowel of "cat". "Class" follows the BATH pattern of a long vowel before S, together with "glass", "grass" and "pass".
Derived words do not always follow the base word. In RP, "classic", "classical" and "classify" have the short /æ/, while "classroom" and "classmate" keep the long vowel. Learners who apply "ah" to every word spelled "class" end up with "klahsic", which sounds odd to British ears. The rule of thumb: the long vowel stays in compounds, but suffixes like -ic and -ify bring back the short one. For more on this vowel, see the bath page.
How to say "class" like a Brit, step by step
- Make a crisp kl cluster, with the tongue tip touching the ridge for the L.
- Open into a long ah from the back of the mouth.
- Finish with a long, voiceless s: klahs.
- Keep the vowel short in "classic" (KLASS-ik) but long in "classroom" (KLAHS-room).
Practise "class" in a sentence
- There are thirty pupils in her class.
- I've signed up for an evening class in Spanish.
- We travelled second class to save money.
Saying it once correctly is easy. Saying it right in the middle of a fast sentence is the hard part, which is why the sentences above matter more than the single word.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce class in a British accent?
In Received Pronunciation, class is pronounced /klɑːs/, roughly "KLAHS". Class has a long "ah" in RP, but classic and classical keep the short a.
Is the American pronunciation of class wrong?
No. /klæs/ is standard in American English. Both are correct, they simply belong to different accents. If you are learning a British accent, aim for /klɑːs/.