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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “higher”

“higher” is pronounced /ˈhaɪɚ/ (HY-uh) in American English and /haɪə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hig”.
The sound

Say “higher” in 2 beats

Say it like this

higher

/ˈhaɪɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. highaɪstress
  2. herɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈhaɪɚ/
IPA (British)
/haɪə/
Respelling
HY-uh
Syllables
2 — HIG-her
Stress
Stress the first syllable: HIG-her. “hig” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈhaɪɚ/

British

/haɪə/

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

Meaning

What “higher” means

  1. adjective

    advanced in complexity or elaboration

    “higher finance”

  2. adjective

    of education beyond the secondary level

    “higher education”

  3. adjective

    greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

    “a high temperature”

Say it in a sentence

“Prices at the market were higher than usual this week.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 sounds, in the order you say them
hhaɪlong iɚschwa

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“higher”, answered

How do you pronounce “higher”?

“higher” is pronounced /ˈhaɪɚ/ (HY-uh) in American English and /haɪə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hig”. Build it as HIG-her, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “higher” have?

2: hig · her. The beat lands on the first, “hig”.

Is “higher” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈhaɪɚ/ (HY-uh); British English says /haɪə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “higher” mean?

As an adjective: advanced in complexity or elaboration For example: “higher finance” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “higher”?

Stress the first syllable: HIG-her. “hig” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “higher” and see every sound

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