How to pronounce “debris”
Say “debris” in 2 beats
debris
/dəˈbɹi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈdɛbɹiː/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- debdə
- risbɹistress
- IPA (American)
- /dəˈbɹi/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈdɛbɹiː/
- Respelling
- duh-BREE (UK DEB-ree)
- Syllables
- 2 — deb-RIS
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: deb-RIS. “ris” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/dəˈbɹi/
/ˈdɛbɹiː/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “debris” goes wrong
- Often heard
“duh-BRIS”/dəˈbɹɪs/
the final s is silent: the word ends on a long ee sound
What “debris” means
- noun
the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up
Say it in a sentence
“Workers cleared the debris from the road before the morning rush.”“debris”, answered
How do you pronounce “debris”?
“debris” is pronounced /dəˈbɹi/ (duh-BREE (UK DEB-ree)) in American English and /ˈdɛbɹiː/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ris”. Build it as deb-RIS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “debris” have?
2: deb · ris. The beat lands on the second, “ris”.
Is “debris” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /dəˈbɹi/ (duh-BREE (UK DEB-ree)); British English says /ˈdɛbɹiː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “debris” mean?
As a noun: the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up For example: “Workers cleared the debris from the road before the morning rush.”
Where is the stress in “debris”?
Stress the second syllable: deb-RIS. “ris” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “debris” 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.