How to pronounce “already”
Say “already” in 3 beats
already
/ɔlˈɹɛdi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɔːlɹɛdi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- alɔl
- readɹɛstress
- ydi
- IPA (American)
- /ɔlˈɹɛdi/
- IPA (British)
- /ɔːlɹɛdi/
- Also accepted
- /ɔˈɹɛdi/
- Respelling
- awl-RE-dee
- Syllables
- 3 — al-READ-y
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: al-READ-y. “read” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ɔlˈɹɛdi/
/ɔːlɹɛdi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “already” means
- adverb
prior to a specified or implied time
“she has already graduated”
Say it in a sentence
“By noon the bakery had already sold out of bread.”“already”, answered
How do you pronounce “already”?
“already” is pronounced /ɔlˈɹɛdi/ (awl-RE-dee) in American English and /ɔːlɹɛdi/ in British English, and /ɔˈɹɛdi/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “read”. Build it as al-READ-y, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “already” have?
3: al · read · y. The beat lands on the second, “read”.
Is “already” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɔlˈɹɛdi/ (awl-RE-dee); British English says /ɔːlɹɛdi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “already” mean?
As an adverb: prior to a specified or implied time For example: “she has already graduated”
Where is the stress in “already”?
Stress the second syllable: al-READ-y. “read” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “already” 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.