Pronunciation

How to pronounce “highlight

“highlight” is pronounced /ˈhaɪˌlaɪt/ (HY-lyt) in American English and /haɪlaɪt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “high”.
The sound

Say “highlight” in 2 beats

Say it like this

highlight

/ˈhaɪˌlaɪt/

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

2 beats
  1. highhaɪstress
  2. lightlaɪt
IPA (American)
/ˈhaɪˌlaɪt/
IPA (British)
/haɪlaɪt/
Respelling
HY-lyt
Syllables
2 — HIGH-light
Stress
Stress the first syllable: HIGH-light. “high” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈhaɪˌlaɪt/

British

/haɪlaɪt/

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

Meaning

What “highlight” means

  1. noun

    the most interesting or memorable part

    the highlight of the tour was our visit to the Vatican

  2. noun

    an area of lightness in a picture

  3. verb

    move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent

    The introduction highlighted the speaker's distinguished career in linguistics

Say it in a sentence

The highlight of the trip was a walk along the old wall.
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

highlight”, answered

How do you pronounce “highlight”?

“highlight” is pronounced /ˈhaɪˌlaɪt/ (HY-lyt) in American English and /haɪlaɪt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “high”. Build it as HIGH-light, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “highlight” have?

2: high · light. The beat lands on the first, “high”.

Is “highlight” said differently in British English?

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

What does “highlight” mean?

As a noun: the most interesting or memorable part For example: “the highlight of the tour was our visit to the Vatican” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “highlight”?

Stress the first syllable: HIGH-light. “high” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “highlight” 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.