How to pronounce “chief”
Say “chief” in one beat
chief
/tʃif/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /tʃiːf/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- chieftʃif
- IPA (American)
- /tʃif/
- IPA (British)
- /tʃiːf/
- Respelling
- CHEEF
- Syllables
- 1 — chief
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /tʃif/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/tʃif/
/tʃiːf/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “chief” means
- noun
a person who is in charge
“the head of the whole operation”
- noun
a person who exercises control over workers
“if you want to leave early you have to ask the foreman”
- noun
the head of a tribe or clan
Say it in a sentence
“The fire chief praised the crew for their quick response.”“chief”, answered
How do you pronounce “chief”?
“chief” is pronounced /tʃif/ (CHEEF) in American English and /tʃiːf/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /tʃif/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “chief” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /tʃif/ — a single beat.
Is “chief” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /tʃif/ (CHEEF); British English says /tʃiːf/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “chief” mean?
As a noun: a person who is in charge For example: “the head of the whole operation” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “chief”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /tʃif/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “chief” 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.