How to pronounce “free”
Say “free” in one beat
free
/fɹi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /fɹiː/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- freefɹi
- IPA (American)
- /fɹi/
- IPA (British)
- /fɹiː/
- Respelling
- FREE
- Syllables
- 1 — free
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /fɹi/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/fɹi/
/fɹiː/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “free” means
- noun
people who are free
“the home of the free and the brave”
- verb
grant freedom to; free from confinement
- verb
relieve from
“Rid the house of pests”
Say it in a sentence
“Admission to the museum is free on the first Sunday.”“free”, answered
How do you pronounce “free”?
“free” is pronounced /fɹi/ (FREE) in American English and /fɹiː/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /fɹi/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “free” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /fɹi/ — a single beat.
Is “free” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /fɹi/ (FREE); British English says /fɹiː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “free” mean?
As a noun: people who are free For example: “the home of the free and the brave” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “free”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /fɹi/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “free” 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.