Pronunciation

How to pronounce “guideline

“guideline” is pronounced /ˈɡaɪdˌlaɪn/ (GYD-lyn) in American English and /ɡaɪdlaɪn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ɡaɪd”.
The sound

Say “guideline” in 2 beats

Say it like this

guideline

/ˈɡaɪdˌlaɪn/

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

2 beats
  1. ɡaɪdɡaɪdstress
  2. laɪnlaɪn
IPA (American)
/ˈɡaɪdˌlaɪn/
IPA (British)
/ɡaɪdlaɪn/
Respelling
GYD-lyn
Syllables
2 — ꞬAꞮD-laɪn
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ꞬAꞮD-laɪn. “ɡaɪd” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɡaɪdˌlaɪn/

British

/ɡaɪdlaɪn/

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

Meaning

What “guideline” means

  1. noun

    a light line that is used in lettering to help align the letters

  2. noun

    a detailed plan or explanation to guide you in setting standards or determining a course of action

    the president said he had a road map for normalizing relations with Vietnam

  3. noun

    a rule or principle that provides guidance to appropriate behavior

Say it in a sentence

Draw a light guideline in pencil before you letter the sign.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

guideline”, answered

How do you pronounce “guideline”?

“guideline” is pronounced /ˈɡaɪdˌlaɪn/ (GYD-lyn) in American English and /ɡaɪdlaɪn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ɡaɪd”. Build it as ꞬAꞮD-laɪn, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “guideline” have?

2: ɡaɪd · laɪn. The beat lands on the first, “ɡaɪd”.

Is “guideline” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɡaɪdˌlaɪn/ (GYD-lyn); British English says /ɡaɪdlaɪn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “guideline” mean?

As a noun: a light line that is used in lettering to help align the letters For example: “Draw a light guideline in pencil before you letter the sign.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “guideline”?

Stress the first syllable: ꞬAꞮD-laɪn. “ɡaɪd” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “guideline” 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.