Pronunciation

How to pronounce “achieve

“achieve” is pronounced /əˈtʃiv/ (uh-CHEEV) in American English and /ɐtʃiːv/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tʃiv”.
The sound

Say “achieve” in 2 beats

Say it like this

achieve

/əˈtʃiv/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɐtʃiːv/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. əə
  2. tʃivtʃivstress
IPA (American)
/əˈtʃiv/
IPA (British)
/ɐtʃiːv/
Respelling
uh-CHEEV
Syllables
2 — ə-TƩIV
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ə-TƩIV. “tʃiv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈtʃiv/

British

/ɐtʃiːv/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “achieve” means

  1. verb

    to gain with effort

    she achieved her goal despite setbacks

Say it in a sentence

They hope to achieve a small profit by the second year.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

achieve”, answered

How do you pronounce “achieve”?

“achieve” is pronounced /əˈtʃiv/ (uh-CHEEV) in American English and /ɐtʃiːv/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tʃiv”. Build it as ə-TƩIV, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “achieve” have?

2: ə · tʃiv. The beat lands on the second, “tʃiv”.

Is “achieve” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈtʃiv/ (uh-CHEEV); British English says /ɐtʃiːv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “achieve” mean?

As a verb: to gain with effort For example: “she achieved her goal despite setbacks”

Where is the stress in “achieve”?

Stress the second syllable: ə-TƩIV. “tʃiv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “achieve” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.