How to pronounce “early”
Say “early” in 2 beats
early
/ˈɝli/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɜːlɪ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- earɝstress
- lyli
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɝli/
- IPA (British)
- /ɜːlɪ/
- Respelling
- UR-lee
- Syllables
- 2 — EAR-ly
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: EAR-ly. “ear” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɝli/
/ɜːlɪ/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “early” means
- adjective
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
“early morning”
- adjective
being or occurring at an early stage of development
“in an early stage”
- adjective
belonging to the distant past
“the early inhabitants of Europe”
Say it in a sentence
“They left the house early to avoid the traffic.”“early”, answered
How do you pronounce “early”?
“early” is pronounced /ˈɝli/ (UR-lee) in American English and /ɜːlɪ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ear”. Build it as EAR-ly, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “early” have?
2: ear · ly. The beat lands on the first, “ear”.
Is “early” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɝli/ (UR-lee); British English says /ɜːlɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “early” mean?
As an adjective: at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time For example: “early morning” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “early”?
Stress the first syllable: EAR-ly. “ear” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “early” 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.