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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “basic”

“basic” is pronounced /ˈbeɪsɪk/ (BAY-sik) in American English and /beɪsɪk/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bas”.
The sound

Say “basic” in 2 beats

Say it like this

basic

/ˈbeɪsɪk/

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

2 beats
  1. basbeɪstress
  2. icsɪk
IPA (American)
/ˈbeɪsɪk/
IPA (British)
/beɪsɪk/
Respelling
BAY-sik
Syllables
2 — BAS-ic
Stress
Stress the first syllable: BAS-ic. “bas” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈbeɪsɪk/

British

/beɪsɪk/

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

Meaning

What “basic” means

  1. noun

    a popular programming language that is relatively easy to learn; an acronym for beginner's all-purpose symbolic instruction code; no longer in general use

  2. noun

    (usually plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant

  3. adjective

    pertaining to or constituting a base or basis

    “a basic fact”

Say it in a sentence

“The course covers the basic rules of grammar first.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
bbeɪlong assɪshort ikk

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

Questions

“basic”, answered

How do you pronounce “basic”?

“basic” is pronounced /ˈbeɪsɪk/ (BAY-sik) in American English and /beɪsɪk/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bas”. Build it as BAS-ic, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “basic” have?

2: bas · ic. The beat lands on the first, “bas”.

Is “basic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈbeɪsɪk/ (BAY-sik); British English says /beɪsɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “basic” mean?

As a noun: a popular programming language that is relatively easy to learn; an acronym for beginner's all-purpose symbolic instruction code; no longer in general use For example: “The course covers the basic rules of grammar first.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “basic”?

Stress the first syllable: BAS-ic. “bas” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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