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How to Pronounce Any English Word
Hear how English words are pronounced in American and British English, with the IPA transcription, syllable stress, and definition for each word.
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giraffe
Full guide- juh
- RAF
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
- A ruminant in the genus Giraffa of the African savannah with long legs, a highly elongated neck, yellow fur patterned with dark spots typically in the form of a network, and two or more horn-like projections called ossicones; the tallest living animal.
- A giraffe unicycle.
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Pronunciation details for every word
Each result includes more than audio. Words are broken into syllables, the stressed syllable is highlighted, and a phonetic respelling shows how the word sounds in plain English.
American and British English
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IPA and phonetic respelling
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Definitions and examples
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How to say commonly mispronounced words
These collections cover words that are frequently mispronounced, with an explanation and the correct pronunciation for each one.
Silent letters
aisle, island, debt, doubt and more
Borrowed from French
bouquet, buffet, entrepreneur, genre and more
Food and drink
quinoa, gnocchi, bruschetta, espresso and more
Said differently in the US and UK
garage, ballet, debris, tomato and more
Stress in an unexpected place
hyperbole, epitome, hegemony, comparable and more
Spellings that mislead
colonel, choir, quay, queue and more
Same spelling, two pronunciations
record, present, object, project and more
Often mispronounced
athlete, nuclear, library, jewelry and more
Learning resources
Pronunciation guides
Articles on reading IPA, silent letters, word stress, and the schwa sound.
My Words
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Frequently asked questions
How do I pronounce a word correctly?
Enter the word in the search box and click Pronounce. Listen at normal speed, then at slow speed, and note which syllable is stressed. Repeat the word aloud and compare it with the audio until the two match.
How do you pronounce a word you have only seen in writing?
Use the phonetic respelling shown with each result, such as DY-nuh-sor for dinosaur. The syllable in capital letters is the stressed one. For the exact sounds, refer to the IPA transcription.
Can I hear both American and British pronunciation?
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