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How to pronounce why
Say it like this: /ʍaː/. Listen to real recordings below and compare how it sounds in different accents.
What does why mean?
advFor what cause, reason, or purpose.
“Why is the sky blue?”
With a negative, used rhetorically to make a suggestion.
“Why don't you ask her out for dinner?”
Introducing a verb phrase (bare infinitive clause).
“Why not tell him how you feel?”
nounReason.
“I don't want to know the whys or the wherefores of your decision.”
intjAn exclamation used to express pleasant or unpleasant mild surprise, indignation, or impatience.
“Why, how kind of you!”
verbTo ask (someone) the question "why?".
“Why indeed? But once you start whying, there's no end to it.”
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Pronunciations and meanings from Wiktionary via kaikki.org, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Recordings by Wikimedia Commons contributors. This page is shared under the same license.