Pronunciation

How to pronounce “degree

“degree” is pronounced /dɪˈɡɹi/ (di-GREE) in American English and /dɪɡɹiː/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ree”.
The sound

Say “degree” in 2 beats

Say it like this

degree

/dɪˈɡɹi/

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

2 beats
  1. deg
  2. reeɡɹistress
IPA (American)
/dɪˈɡɹi/
IPA (British)
/dɪɡɹiː/
Respelling
di-GREE
Syllables
2 — deg-REE
Stress
Stress the second syllable: deg-REE. “ree” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/dɪˈɡɹi/

British

/dɪɡɹiː/

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

Meaning

What “degree” means

  1. noun

    a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

    a moderate grade of intelligence

  2. noun

    a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process

    a remarkable degree of frankness

  3. noun

    an award conferred by a college or university signifying that the recipient has satisfactorily completed a course of study

    he earned his degree at Princeton summa cum laude

Say it in a sentence

She finished her degree while working three nights a week.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

degree”, answered

How do you pronounce “degree”?

“degree” is pronounced /dɪˈɡɹi/ (di-GREE) in American English and /dɪɡɹiː/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ree”. Build it as deg-REE, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “degree” have?

2: deg · ree. The beat lands on the second, “ree”.

Is “degree” said differently in British English?

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

What does “degree” mean?

As a noun: a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality For example: “a moderate grade of intelligence” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “degree”?

Stress the second syllable: deg-REE. “ree” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “degree” 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.