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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “device”

“device” is pronounced /dɪˈvaɪs/ (di-VYS) in American English and /dɪvaɪs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “vaɪs”.
The sound

Say “device” in 2 beats

Say it like this

device

/dɪˈvaɪs/

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

2 beats
  1. dɪdɪ
  2. vaɪsvaɪsstress
IPA (American)
/dɪˈvaɪs/
IPA (British)
/dɪvaɪs/
Respelling
di-VYS
Syllables
2 — dɪ-VAꞮS
Stress
Stress the second syllable: dɪ-VAꞮS. “vaɪs” 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

/dɪˈvaɪs/

British

/dɪvaɪs/

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

Meaning

What “device” means

  1. noun

    an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose

    “the device is small enough to wear on your wrist”

  2. noun

    something in an artistic work designed to achieve a particular effect

  3. noun

    any clever maneuver

    “he would stoop to any device to win a point”

Say it in a sentence

“The device switches itself off after ten minutes of silence.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
ddɪshort ivvaɪlong iss

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

Questions

“device”, answered

How do you pronounce “device”?

“device” is pronounced /dɪˈvaɪs/ (di-VYS) in American English and /dɪvaɪs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “vaɪs”. Build it as dɪ-VAꞮS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “device” have?

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

Is “device” said differently in British English?

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

What does “device” mean?

As a noun: an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose For example: “the device is small enough to wear on your wrist” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “device”?

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

Practise this word

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