How to pronounce “active”
Say “active” in 2 beats
active
/ˈæktɪv/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /aktɪv/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ækækstress
- tɪvtɪv
- IPA (American)
- /ˈæktɪv/
- IPA (British)
- /aktɪv/
- Respelling
- AK-tiv
- Syllables
- 2 — ÆK-tɪv
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: ÆK-tɪv. “æk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈæktɪv/
/aktɪv/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “active” means
- noun
chemical agent capable of activity
- noun
the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb
“`The boy threw the ball' uses the active voice”
- noun
a person who is a participating member of an organization
“the club issues a list of members, both the actives and the retirees”
Say it in a sentence
“She stayed active by walking every morning before work.”“active”, answered
How do you pronounce “active”?
“active” is pronounced /ˈæktɪv/ (AK-tiv) in American English and /aktɪv/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “æk”. Build it as ÆK-tɪv, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “active” have?
2: æk · tɪv. The beat lands on the first, “æk”.
Is “active” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈæktɪv/ (AK-tiv); British English says /aktɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “active” mean?
As a noun: chemical agent capable of activity For example: “She stayed active by walking every morning before work.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “active”?
Stress the first syllable: ÆK-tɪv. “æk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “active” 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.