sayitsayit
Pronunciation

How to pronounce “evolve”

“evolve” is pronounced /ɪˈvɑlv/ (i-VAHLV) in American English and /ɪvɒlv/ in British English, and /iˈvɑlv/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “vɑlv”.
The sound

Say “evolve” in 2 beats

Say it like this

evolve

/ɪˈvɑlv/

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

2 beats
  1. ɪɪ
  2. vɑlvvɑlvstress
IPA (American)
/ɪˈvɑlv/
IPA (British)
/ɪvɒlv/
Also accepted
/iˈvɑlv/
Respelling
i-VAHLV
Syllables
2 — ɪ-VⱭLV
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪ-VⱭLV. “vɑlv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪˈvɑlv/

British

/ɪvɒlv/

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

Meaning

What “evolve” means

  1. verb

    work out

    “We have developed a new theory of evolution”

  2. verb

    undergo development or evolution

    “Modern man evolved a long time ago”

  3. verb

    gain through experience

    “I acquired a strong aversion to television”

Say it in a sentence

“The plan will evolve once we see the first drawings.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort ivv×2ɑahll

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

Questions

“evolve”, answered

How do you pronounce “evolve”?

“evolve” is pronounced /ɪˈvɑlv/ (i-VAHLV) in American English and /ɪvɒlv/ in British English, and /iˈvɑlv/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “vɑlv”. Build it as ɪ-VⱭLV, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “evolve” have?

2: ɪ · vɑlv. The beat lands on the second, “vɑlv”.

Is “evolve” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪˈvɑlv/ (i-VAHLV); British English says /ɪvɒlv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “evolve” mean?

As a verb: work out For example: “We have developed a new theory of evolution” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “evolve”?

Stress the second syllable: ɪ-VⱭLV. “vɑlv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “evolve” 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.

Practise this word freeMore words with E