How to pronounce “define”
Say “define” in 2 beats
define
/dɪˈfaɪn/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /dɪfaɪn/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- dɪdɪ
- faɪnfaɪnstress
- IPA (American)
- /dɪˈfaɪn/
- IPA (British)
- /dɪfaɪn/
- Respelling
- di-FYN
- Syllables
- 2 — dɪ-FAꞮN
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: dɪ-FAꞮN. “faɪn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/dɪˈfaɪn/
/dɪfaɪn/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “define” means
- verb
determine the essential quality of
- verb
give a definition for the meaning of a word
“Define `sadness'”
- verb
determine the nature of
“What defines a good wine?”
Say it in a sentence
“It is hard to define exactly what makes her cooking good.”“define”, answered
How do you pronounce “define”?
“define” is pronounced /dɪˈfaɪn/ (di-FYN) in American English and /dɪfaɪn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “faɪn”. Build it as dɪ-FAꞮN, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “define” have?
2: dɪ · faɪn. The beat lands on the second, “faɪn”.
Is “define” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /dɪˈfaɪn/ (di-FYN); British English says /dɪfaɪn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “define” mean?
As a verb: determine the essential quality of For example: “It is hard to define exactly what makes her cooking good.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “define”?
Stress the second syllable: dɪ-FAꞮN. “faɪn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “define” 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.