Pronunciation

How to pronounce “break

“break” is pronounced /bɹeɪk/ (BRAYK) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “break” in one beat

Say it like this

break

/bɹeɪk/

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

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

What “break” means

  1. noun

    some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

    the telephone is an annoying interruption

  2. noun

    an unexpected piece of good luck

    he finally got his big break

  3. noun

    (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other

    they built it right over a geological fault

Say it in a sentence

They took a short break before finishing the hike.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

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

break”, answered

How do you pronounce “break”?

“break” is pronounced /bɹeɪk/ (BRAYK) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /bɹeɪk/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “break” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /bɹeɪk/ — a single beat.

What does “break” mean?

As a noun: some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity For example: “the telephone is an annoying interruption” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “break”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “break” and see every sound

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