How to pronounce “decisive”
Say “decisive” in 3 beats
decisive
/dɪˈsaɪsɪv/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /dɪsaɪsɪv/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- dɪdɪ
- saɪsaɪstress
- sɪvsɪv
- IPA (American)
- /dɪˈsaɪsɪv/
- IPA (British)
- /dɪsaɪsɪv/
- Respelling
- di-SY-siv
- Syllables
- 3 — dɪ-SAꞮ-sɪv
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: dɪ-SAꞮ-sɪv. “saɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/dɪˈsaɪsɪv/
/dɪsaɪsɪv/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “decisive” means
- adjective
determining or having the power to determine an outcome
“cast the decisive vote”
- adjective
unmistakable
“had a decisive lead in the polls”
- adjective
characterized by decision and firmness
“an able and decisive young woman”
Say it in a sentence
“One decisive tackle changed the shape of the whole game.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“decisive”, answered
How do you pronounce “decisive”?
“decisive” is pronounced /dɪˈsaɪsɪv/ (di-SY-siv) in American English and /dɪsaɪsɪv/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “saɪ”. Build it as dɪ-SAꞮ-sɪv, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “decisive” have?
3: dɪ · saɪ · sɪv. The beat lands on the second, “saɪ”.
Is “decisive” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /dɪˈsaɪsɪv/ (di-SY-siv); British English says /dɪsaɪsɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “decisive” mean?
As an adjective: determining or having the power to determine an outcome For example: “cast the decisive vote” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “decisive”?
Stress the second syllable: dɪ-SAꞮ-sɪv. “saɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “decisive” 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.