How to pronounce “became”
Say “became” in 2 beats
became
/bɪˈkeɪm/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /bɪkeɪm/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- bɪbɪ
- keɪmkeɪmstress
- IPA (American)
- /bɪˈkeɪm/
- IPA (British)
- /bɪkeɪm/
- Also accepted
- /biˈkeɪm/
- Respelling
- bi-KAYM
- Syllables
- 2 — bɪ-KEꞮM
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: bɪ-KEꞮM. “keɪm” 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
American and British are not the same here
/bɪˈkeɪm/
/bɪkeɪm/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “became” means
- verb
enter or assume a certain state or condition
“He became annoyed when he heard the bad news”
- verb
undergo a change or development
“The water turned into ice”
- verb
come into existence
“What becomes has duration”
Say it in a sentence
“She became a nurse after finishing her training.”“became”, answered
How do you pronounce “became”?
“became” is pronounced /bɪˈkeɪm/ (bi-KAYM) in American English and /bɪkeɪm/ in British English, and /biˈkeɪm/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “keɪm”. Build it as bɪ-KEꞮM, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “became” have?
2: bɪ · keɪm. The beat lands on the second, “keɪm”.
Is “became” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /bɪˈkeɪm/ (bi-KAYM); British English says /bɪkeɪm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “became” mean?
As a verb: enter or assume a certain state or condition For example: “He became annoyed when he heard the bad news” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “became”?
Stress the second syllable: bɪ-KEꞮM. “keɪm” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “became” 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.