Pronunciation

How to pronounce “elegy

“elegy” is pronounced /ˈɛləˌdʒi/ (E-luh-jee) in American English and /ɛlɪdʒi/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “el”.
The sound

Say “elegy” in 3 beats

Say it like this

elegy

/ˈɛləˌdʒi/

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

3 beats
  1. elɛstress
  2. eg
  3. ydʒi
IPA (American)
/ˈɛləˌdʒi/
IPA (British)
/ɛlɪdʒi/
Respelling
E-luh-jee
Syllables
3 — EL-eg-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: EL-eg-y. “el” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɛləˌdʒi/

British

/ɛlɪdʒi/

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

Meaning

What “elegy” means

  1. noun

    a mournful poem; a lament for the dead

Say it in a sentence

He read a short elegy for his brother at the graveside.
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

elegy”, answered

How do you pronounce “elegy”?

“elegy” is pronounced /ˈɛləˌdʒi/ (E-luh-jee) in American English and /ɛlɪdʒi/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “el”. Build it as EL-eg-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “elegy” have?

3: el · eg · y. The beat lands on the first, “el”.

Is “elegy” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɛləˌdʒi/ (E-luh-jee); British English says /ɛlɪdʒi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “elegy” mean?

As a noun: a mournful poem; a lament for the dead For example: “He read a short elegy for his brother at the graveside.”

Where is the stress in “elegy”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “elegy” 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.