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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “apply”

“apply” is pronounced /əˈplaɪ/ (uh-PLY) in American English and /ɐplaɪ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ly”.
The sound

Say “apply” in 2 beats

Say it like this

apply

/əˈplaɪ/

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

2 beats
  1. appə
  2. lyplaɪstress
IPA (American)
/əˈplaɪ/
IPA (British)
/ɐplaɪ/
Respelling
uh-PLY
Syllables
2 — app-LY
Stress
Stress the second syllable: app-LY. “ly” 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

/əˈplaɪ/

British

/ɐplaɪ/

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

Meaning

What “apply” means

  1. verb

    put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose

    “use your head!”

  2. verb

    be pertinent or relevant or applicable

    “The same laws apply to you!”

  3. verb

    ask (for something)

    “He applied for a leave of absence”

Say it in a sentence

“She plans to apply for the scholarship next month.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
əschwappllaɪlong i

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

Questions

“apply”, answered

How do you pronounce “apply”?

“apply” is pronounced /əˈplaɪ/ (uh-PLY) in American English and /ɐplaɪ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ly”. Build it as app-LY, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “apply” have?

2: app · ly. The beat lands on the second, “ly”.

Is “apply” said differently in British English?

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

What does “apply” mean?

As a verb: put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose For example: “use your head!” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “apply”?

Stress the second syllable: app-LY. “ly” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “apply” and see every sound

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