How to Pronounce “psalm”

American (US)

/sɑːm/

British (UK)

/sɑːm/

noun — A sacred song or poem, especially one from the Book of Psalms.

Example: The choir sang a psalm at the close of the service.

The p is silent. “psalm” comes through Greek, where ps- was a single sound English never adopted. The p is dropped: the word begins on /s/.

The l is silent. The l in the endings -alk, -alm and -olk is not pronounced. Say “psalm” with the vowel running straight into the final consonant.

What does "psalm" mean?

psalm (noun): A sacred song or poem, especially one from the Book of Psalms. For example — The choir sang a psalm at the close of the service.

How do you pronounce "psalm" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "psalm", /sɑːm/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "psalm"?

/sɑːm/ in American English, /sɑːm/ in British English.

• Silent P words