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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “behind”

“behind” is pronounced /bɪˈhaɪnd/ (bi-HYND) in American English and /bɪhaɪnd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ind”.
The sound

Say “behind” in 2 beats

Say it like this

behind

/bɪˈhaɪnd/

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

2 beats
  1. behbɪ
  2. indhaɪndstress
IPA (American)
/bɪˈhaɪnd/
IPA (British)
/bɪhaɪnd/
Respelling
bi-HYND
Syllables
2 — beh-IND
Stress
Stress the second syllable: beh-IND. “ind” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/bɪˈhaɪnd/

British

/bɪhaɪnd/

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

Meaning

What “behind” means

  1. noun

    the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

    “he deserves a good kick in the butt”

  2. adjective

    having the lower score or lagging position in a contest

    “behind by two points”

  3. adverb

    in or to or toward the rear

    “he followed behind”

Say it in a sentence

“He parked the car just behind the old barn.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
bbɪshort ihhaɪlong inndd

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

Questions

“behind”, answered

How do you pronounce “behind”?

“behind” is pronounced /bɪˈhaɪnd/ (bi-HYND) in American English and /bɪhaɪnd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ind”. Build it as beh-IND, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “behind” have?

2: beh · ind. The beat lands on the second, “ind”.

Is “behind” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /bɪˈhaɪnd/ (bi-HYND); British English says /bɪhaɪnd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “behind” mean?

As a noun: the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on For example: “he deserves a good kick in the butt” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “behind”?

Stress the second syllable: beh-IND. “ind” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “behind” and see every sound

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