Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gotta

/ˈɡɑtə/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.95 in modern English

Syllables: got-ta
IPA: /ˈɡɑtə/

6

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Synonym of have got to, have to

Colloquial

verb

Contraction of got + a.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

"I gotta learn this for my exam."
"If there's beer, dude, you don't even gotta ask."
"“All right, let’s go. They must have sake, eh? Oh, Izuna, will you come along?” “If they have fish or meat, you don’t gotta ask, please.”"
"Clavicular, characteristically, attributed his good luck with the criminal justice system to his looks. “You just gotta mog,” he posted on X, above a screenshot of a news headline."
"I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night"

Etymology

Contraction of got + to.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɡɑtə/
British English: /ˈɡɒtə/

Usage

Colloquial

Inflected Forms

had to (past)

Phrases

I gotta love you and leave you got-to

Frequently Paired Words

gotsta gotcha gtg hafta got-to

Synonyms

have got to have to

Rhymes With

mata lotta sonata ata janata plata regatta cotta fatah terracotta ricotta renata

Questions

How do you pronounce gotta?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡɑtə/.
What does gotta mean?: Synonym of have got to, have to
Where does gotta come from?: Contraction of got + to.

How to pronounce gotta

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gotta”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɡɑtə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “gotta”.
Repeat and practice — Say “gotta” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.