How to pronounce “city”
Say “city” in 2 beats
city
/ˈsɪti/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɪti/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- citsɪstress
- yti
- IPA (American)
- /ˈsɪti/
- IPA (British)
- /sɪti/
- Respelling
- SI-tee
- Syllables
- 2 — CIT-y
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: CIT-y. “cit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈsɪti/
/sɪti/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “city” means
- noun
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
“Ancient Troy was a great city”
- noun
an incorporated administrative district established by state charter
“the city raised the tax rate”
- noun
people living in a large densely populated municipality
“the city voted for Republicans in 1994”
Say it in a sentence
“The old city was full of narrow cobbled streets.”“city”, answered
How do you pronounce “city”?
“city” is pronounced /ˈsɪti/ (SI-tee) in American English and /sɪti/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cit”. Build it as CIT-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “city” have?
2: cit · y. The beat lands on the first, “cit”.
Is “city” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈsɪti/ (SI-tee); British English says /sɪti/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “city” mean?
As a noun: a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts For example: “Ancient Troy was a great city” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “city”?
Stress the first syllable: CIT-y. “cit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “city” 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.