Pronunciation

How to pronounce “develop

“develop” is pronounced /dɪˈvɛləp/ (dih-VEL-uhp) — 3 syllables, stressed on “el”.
The sound

Say “develop” in 3 beats

Say it like this

develop

/dɪˈvɛləp/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

3 beats
  1. dev
  2. elstress
  3. opləp
IPA (American)
/dɪˈvɛləp/
IPA (British)
/dɪˈvɛləp/
Respelling
dih-VEL-uhp
Syllables
3 — dev-EL-op
Stress
Stress the second syllable: dev-EL-op. “el” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Watch out

Where “develop” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    DEV-uh-lop

    the stress is on the second syllable: dih-VEL-uhp

Meaning

What “develop” means

  1. verb

    make something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation

    Her company developed a new kind of building material that withstands all kinds of weather

  2. verb

    work out

    We have developed a new theory of evolution

  3. verb

    gain through experience

    I acquired a strong aversion to television

Say it in a sentence

They plan to develop the empty land behind the old school.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

develop”, answered

How do you pronounce “develop”?

“develop” is pronounced /dɪˈvɛləp/ (dih-VEL-uhp) — 3 syllables, stressed on “el”. Build it as dev-EL-op, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “develop” have?

3: dev · el · op. The beat lands on the second, “el”.

What does “develop” mean?

As a verb: make something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation For example: “Her company developed a new kind of building material that withstands all kinds of weather” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “develop”?

Stress the second syllable: dev-EL-op. “el” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “develop” 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.