Pronunciation

How to pronounce “climb

“climb” is pronounced /klaɪm/ (KLYME) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “climb” in one beat

Say it like this

climb

/klaɪm/

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

1 beat
  1. climbklaɪm
IPA (American)
/klaɪm/
IPA (British)
/klaɪm/
Respelling
KLYME
Syllables
1 — climb
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /klaɪm/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Watch out

Where “climb” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    KLIMB

    the b is silent: it rhymes with time

Meaning

What “climb” means

  1. noun

    an upward slope or grade (as in a road)

    the car couldn't make it up the rise

  2. noun

    an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)

  3. noun

    the act of climbing something

    it was a difficult climb to the top

Say it in a sentence

The last part of the climb is steep but the view repays it.
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

climb”, answered

How do you pronounce “climb”?

“climb” is pronounced /klaɪm/ (KLYME) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /klaɪm/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “climb” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /klaɪm/ — a single beat.

What does “climb” mean?

As a noun: an upward slope or grade (as in a road) For example: “the car couldn't make it up the rise” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “climb”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “climb” 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.