Pronunciation

How to pronounce “combine

“combine” has two pronunciations: /kəmˈbaɪn/ as a verb and /ˈkɑmbaɪn/ as a noun — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the verb form.
Two pronunciations

combine” is said two ways

As a verb

/kəmˈbaɪn/

kuhm-BYNE

To join things together. Beat on BYNE.

As a noun

/ˈkɑmbaɪn/

KAHM-byne

The harvester, or a business group. Beat on KAHM.

Listen for the beat, not the letters

One syllable gets longer, louder and a step higher, and the other one collapses towards a schwa. Say the whole sentence rather than the word on its own and let the grammar pull the beat where it belongs.Both forms live in one sentence here: “Combine the fields first, then bring the combine back to the barn.

Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “combine” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the verb and the noun. Read the transcription as you listen.

The sound

Say “combine” in 2 beats

Say it like this — as a verb

combine

/kəmˈbaɪn/

Everything in this card describes the verb form. As a noun it is /ˈkɑmbaɪn/.

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

2 beats
  1. kəmkəm
  2. baɪnbaɪnstress
IPA (American)
/kəmˈbaɪn/
IPA (British)
/kəmˈbaɪn/
Respelling
kuhm-BYNE (verb) · KAHM-byne (noun)
Syllables
2 — kəm-BAꞮN
Stress
Stress the second syllable: kəm-BAꞮN. “baɪn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Watch out

Where “combine” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    a KAHM-byne of flavours

    joining things is kuhm-BYNE; KAHM-byne is the machine

Meaning

What “combine” means

  1. noun

    harvester that heads and threshes and cleans grain while moving across the field

  2. noun

    a consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition by controlling the production and distribution of a product or service

    they set up the trust in the hope of gaining a monopoly

  3. noun

    an occurrence that results in things being united

Say it in a sentence

Combine the fields first, then bring the combine back to the barn.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

combine”, answered

How do you pronounce “combine”?

“combine” has two pronunciations: /kəmˈbaɪn/ as a verb and /ˈkɑmbaɪn/ as a noun — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the verb form. Build it as kəm-BAꞮN, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “combine” have?

2: kəm · baɪn. The beat lands on the second, “baɪn”.

Which pronunciation of “combine” is correct?

Both are. /kəmˈbaɪn/ (kuhm-BYNE) as a verb; /ˈkɑmbaɪn/ (KAHM-byne) as a noun. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does. Move the beat and the word changes its job mid-sentence, which is why both are worth drilling. Both appear here: “Combine the fields first, then bring the combine back to the barn.”

What does “combine” mean?

As a noun: harvester that heads and threshes and cleans grain while moving across the field For example: “Combine the fields first, then bring the combine back to the barn.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “combine”?

Stress the second syllable: kəm-BAꞮN. “baɪn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “combine” 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.