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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “decline”

“decline” is pronounced /dɪˈklaɪn/ (di-KLYN) in American English and /dɪklaɪn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “klaɪn”.
The sound

Say “decline” in 2 beats

Say it like this

decline

/dɪˈklaɪn/

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

2 beats
  1. dɪdɪ
  2. klaɪnklaɪnstress
IPA (American)
/dɪˈklaɪn/
IPA (British)
/dɪklaɪn/
Respelling
di-KLYN
Syllables
2 — dɪ-KLAꞮN
Stress
Stress the second syllable: dɪ-KLAꞮN. “klaɪn” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/dɪˈklaɪn/

British

/dɪklaɪn/

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

Meaning

What “decline” means

  1. noun

    change toward something smaller or lower

  2. noun

    a condition inferior to an earlier condition; a gradual falling off from a better state

  3. noun

    a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current

Say it in a sentence

“There has been a slow decline in numbers since 2015.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ddɪshort ikkllaɪlong inn

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“decline”, answered

How do you pronounce “decline”?

“decline” is pronounced /dɪˈklaɪn/ (di-KLYN) in American English and /dɪklaɪn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “klaɪn”. Build it as dɪ-KLAꞮN, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “decline” have?

2: dɪ · klaɪn. The beat lands on the second, “klaɪn”.

Is “decline” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dɪˈklaɪn/ (di-KLYN); British English says /dɪklaɪn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “decline” mean?

As a noun: change toward something smaller or lower For example: “There has been a slow decline in numbers since 2015.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “decline”?

Stress the second syllable: dɪ-KLAꞮN. “klaɪn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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