How to pronounce “familiar”
Say “familiar” in 3 beats
familiar
/fəˈmɪljɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /fəmɪliə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- famfə
- ilmɪstress
- iarljɚ
- IPA (American)
- /fəˈmɪljɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /fəmɪliə/
- Respelling
- fuh-MI-lyuh
- Syllables
- 3 — fam-IL-iar
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: fam-IL-iar. “il” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/fəˈmɪljɚ/
/fəmɪliə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “familiar” means
- noun
a person attached to the household of a high official (as a pope or bishop) who renders service in return for support
- noun
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
“drinking companions”
- noun
a spirit (usually in animal form) that acts as an assistant to a witch or wizard
Say it in a sentence
“The tune was familiar but nobody could name it.”“familiar”, answered
How do you pronounce “familiar”?
“familiar” is pronounced /fəˈmɪljɚ/ (fuh-MI-lyuh) in American English and /fəmɪliə/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “il”. Build it as fam-IL-iar, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “familiar” have?
3: fam · il · iar. The beat lands on the second, “il”.
Is “familiar” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /fəˈmɪljɚ/ (fuh-MI-lyuh); British English says /fəmɪliə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “familiar” mean?
As a noun: a person attached to the household of a high official (as a pope or bishop) who renders service in return for support For example: “The tune was familiar but nobody could name it.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “familiar”?
Stress the second syllable: fam-IL-iar. “il” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “familiar” 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.