Pronunciation

How to pronounce “best”

“best” is pronounced /bɛst/ (BEST) — one syllable.

The sound

Say “best” in one beat

Say it like this

best

/bɛst/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat

IPA (American): /bɛst/
IPA (British): /bɛst/
Respelling: BEST
Syllables: 1 — best
Stress: One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bɛst/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech: noun, verb, adjective, adverb
Difficulty: Beginner — most learners get this on the first take

Meaning

noun
the supreme effort one can make
“they did their best”
noun
the person who is most outstanding or excellent; someone who tops all others
“he could beat the best of them”
noun
Canadian physiologist (born in the United States) who assisted F. G. Banting in research leading to the discovery of insulin (1899-1978)

Say it in a sentence

“This is the best coffee I have had in years.”

Sound by sound

4 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

How do you pronounce “best”?

“best” is pronounced /bɛst/ (BEST) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /bɛst/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “best” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /bɛst/ — a single beat.

What does “best” mean?

As a noun: the supreme effort one can make For example: “they did their best” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “best”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bɛst/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

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.