How to pronounce “beat”
Say “beat” in one beat
beat
/bit/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /biːt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- beatbit
- IPA (American)
- /bit/
- IPA (British)
- /biːt/
- Respelling
- BEET
- Syllables
- 1 — beat
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bit/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/bit/
/biːt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “beat” means
- noun
a regular route for a sentry or policeman
“in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name”
- noun
the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart
“he could feel the beat of her heart”
- noun
the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music
“the piece has a fast rhythm”
Say it in a sentence
“Her heart began to beat faster before the interview.”“beat”, answered
How do you pronounce “beat”?
“beat” is pronounced /bit/ (BEET) in American English and /biːt/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /bit/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “beat” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /bit/ — a single beat.
Is “beat” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /bit/ (BEET); British English says /biːt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “beat” mean?
As a noun: a regular route for a sentry or policeman For example: “in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “beat”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bit/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “beat” 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.