How to pronounce “ahead”
Say “ahead” in 2 beats
ahead
/əˈhɛd/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɐhɛd/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ahə
- eadhɛdstress
- IPA (American)
- /əˈhɛd/
- IPA (British)
- /ɐhɛd/
- Respelling
- uh-HED
- Syllables
- 2 — ah-EAD
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ah-EAD. “ead” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/əˈhɛd/
/ɐhɛd/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “ahead” means
- adjective
having the leading position or higher score in a contest
“he is ahead by a pawn”
- adverb
at or in the front
“I see the lights of a town ahead”
- adverb
toward the future; forward in time
“I like to look ahead in imagination to what the future may bring”
Say it in a sentence
“She finished the report a full day ahead of schedule.”“ahead”, answered
How do you pronounce “ahead”?
“ahead” is pronounced /əˈhɛd/ (uh-HED) in American English and /ɐhɛd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ead”. Build it as ah-EAD, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “ahead” have?
2: ah · ead. The beat lands on the second, “ead”.
Is “ahead” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /əˈhɛd/ (uh-HED); British English says /ɐhɛd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “ahead” mean?
As an adjective: having the leading position or higher score in a contest For example: “he is ahead by a pawn” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “ahead”?
Stress the second syllable: ah-EAD. “ead” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “ahead” 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.