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 "tomato" sounds different in British English
British English says /təˈmɑːtəʊ/, with the long /ɑː/ vowel of "father" in the stressed syllable. American English says /təˈmeɪt̬oʊ/, rhyming the middle with "may".
Unlike the bath vowel, this is not part of a bigger pattern: "potato" is "puh-TAY-toh" in both accents. Tomato is simply a word you learn on its own. Notice the other British features too: a clear T in the middle and the RP /əʊ/ vowel at the end.
How to say "tomato" like a Brit, step by step
- Begin with a weak tuh. Don't stress it.
- Open your mouth for a long MAH, as in "father".
- Release a crisp t.
- Finish with the RP go vowel, toh, starting from "uh" and gliding to "oo".
Practise "tomato" in a sentence
- Could you slice a tomato for the salad?
- I'd like tomato soup, please.
- There's tomato ketchup on the table.
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 tomato in a British accent?
In Received Pronunciation, tomato is pronounced /təˈmɑːtəʊ/, roughly "tuh-MAH-toh". The stressed syllable uses a long "ah", as in "father".
Is the American pronunciation of tomato wrong?
No. /təˈmeɪt̬oʊ/ is standard in American English. Both are correct, they simply belong to different accents. If you are learning a British accent, aim for /təˈmɑːtəʊ/.
Why do British people say tomahto but potayto?
Word pronunciations develop separately. Tomato settled with a long ah in British English in the 19th century, while potato never did. There is no general rule, so tomato is learned as a one-off.