Pronunciation

How to pronounce “classify

“classify” is pronounced /ˈklæsəˌfaɪ/ (KLA-suh-fy) in American English and /klasɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “clas”.
The sound

Say “classify” in 3 beats

Say it like this

classify

/ˈklæsəˌfaɪ/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /klasɪfaɪ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

3 beats
  1. clasklæstress
  2. sif
  3. yfaɪ
IPA (American)
/ˈklæsəˌfaɪ/
IPA (British)
/klasɪfaɪ/
Respelling
KLA-suh-fy
Syllables
3 — CLAS-sif-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CLAS-sif-y. “clas” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈklæsəˌfaɪ/

British

/klasɪfaɪ/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “classify” means

  1. verb

    arrange or order by classes or categories

    How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?

  2. verb

    declare unavailable, as for security reasons

    Classify these documents

  3. verb

    assign to a class or kind

    How should algae be classified?

Say it in a sentence

It is hard to classify a building this unusual.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

classify”, answered

How do you pronounce “classify”?

“classify” is pronounced /ˈklæsəˌfaɪ/ (KLA-suh-fy) in American English and /klasɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “clas”. Build it as CLAS-sif-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “classify” have?

3: clas · sif · y. The beat lands on the first, “clas”.

Is “classify” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈklæsəˌfaɪ/ (KLA-suh-fy); British English says /klasɪfaɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “classify” mean?

As a verb: arrange or order by classes or categories For example: “How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “classify”?

Stress the first syllable: CLAS-sif-y. “clas” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “classify” 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.