Pronunciation

How to pronounce “finite

“finite” is pronounced /ˈfaɪˌnaɪt/ (FY-nyt) in American English and /faɪnaɪt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “faɪ”.
The sound

Say “finite” in 2 beats

Say it like this

finite

/ˈfaɪˌnaɪt/

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

2 beats
  1. faɪfaɪstress
  2. naɪtnaɪt
IPA (American)
/ˈfaɪˌnaɪt/
IPA (British)
/faɪnaɪt/
Respelling
FY-nyt
Syllables
2 — FAꞮ-naɪt
Stress
Stress the first syllable: FAꞮ-naɪt. “faɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈfaɪˌnaɪt/

British

/faɪnaɪt/

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

Meaning

What “finite” means

  1. adjective

    bounded or limited in magnitude or spatial or temporal extent

  2. adjective

    of verbs; relating to forms of the verb that are limited in time by a tense and (usually) show agreement with number and person

Say it in a sentence

Our patience with the noisy roadworks is definitely finite.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

finite”, answered

How do you pronounce “finite”?

“finite” is pronounced /ˈfaɪˌnaɪt/ (FY-nyt) in American English and /faɪnaɪt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “faɪ”. Build it as FAꞮ-naɪt, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “finite” have?

2: faɪ · naɪt. The beat lands on the first, “faɪ”.

Is “finite” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈfaɪˌnaɪt/ (FY-nyt); British English says /faɪnaɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “finite” mean?

As an adjective: bounded or limited in magnitude or spatial or temporal extent For example: “Our patience with the noisy roadworks is definitely finite.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “finite”?

Stress the first syllable: FAꞮ-naɪt. “faɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “finite” 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.