Pronunciation

How to pronounce “funny

“funny” is pronounced /ˈfʌni/ (FU-nee) in American English and /fʌni/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fun”.
The sound

Say “funny” in 2 beats

Say it like this

funny

/ˈfʌni/

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

2 beats
  1. funstress
  2. nyni
IPA (American)
/ˈfʌni/
IPA (British)
/fʌni/
Respelling
FU-nee
Syllables
2 — FUN-ny
Stress
Stress the first syllable: FUN-ny. “fun” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈfʌni/

British

/fʌni/

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

Meaning

What “funny” means

  1. noun

    an account of an amusing incident (usually with a punch line)

    she told a funny story

  2. adjective

    arousing or provoking laughter

    an amusing film with a steady stream of pranks and pratfalls

  3. adjective

    beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

    a curious hybrid accent

Say it in a sentence

He told a funny story about his first day at work.
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

funny”, answered

How do you pronounce “funny”?

“funny” is pronounced /ˈfʌni/ (FU-nee) in American English and /fʌni/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fun”. Build it as FUN-ny, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “funny” have?

2: fun · ny. The beat lands on the first, “fun”.

Is “funny” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈfʌni/ (FU-nee); British English says /fʌni/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “funny” mean?

As a noun: an account of an amusing incident (usually with a punch line) For example: “she told a funny story” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “funny”?

Stress the first syllable: FUN-ny. “fun” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “funny” 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.