How to pronounce “brief”
Say “brief” in one beat
brief
/bɹif/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /bɹiːf/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- briefbɹif
- IPA (American)
- /bɹif/
- IPA (British)
- /bɹiːf/
- Respelling
- BREEF
- Syllables
- 1 — brief
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bɹif/ 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
/bɹif/
/bɹiːf/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “brief” means
- noun
a document stating the facts and points of law of a client's case
- noun
a condensed written summary or abstract
- verb
give essential information to someone
“The reporters were briefed about the President's plan to invade”
Say it in a sentence
“The barrister read the brief twice on the train down.”“brief”, answered
How do you pronounce “brief”?
“brief” is pronounced /bɹif/ (BREEF) in American English and /bɹiːf/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /bɹif/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “brief” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /bɹif/ — a single beat.
Is “brief” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /bɹif/ (BREEF); British English says /bɹiːf/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “brief” mean?
As a noun: a document stating the facts and points of law of a client's case For example: “The barrister read the brief twice on the train down.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “brief”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bɹif/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “brief” 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.