How to pronounce “history”
Say “history” in 3 beats
history
/ˈhɪstɚi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /hɪstəɹi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- hishɪstress
- torstɚ
- yi
- IPA (American)
- /ˈhɪstɚi/
- IPA (British)
- /hɪstəɹi/
- Also accepted
- /ˈhɪstɹi/
- Respelling
- HI-stuh-ee
- Syllables
- 3 — HIS-tor-y
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: HIS-tor-y. “his” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈhɪstɚi/
/hɪstəɹi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “history” means
- noun
the aggregate of past events
“a critical time in the school's history”
- noun
a record or narrative description of past events
“a history of France”
- noun
the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings
“he teaches Medieval history”
Say it in a sentence
“The history of the building is written on a small plaque.”“history”, answered
How do you pronounce “history”?
“history” is pronounced /ˈhɪstɚi/ (HI-stuh-ee) in American English and /hɪstəɹi/ in British English, and /ˈhɪstɹi/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “his”. Build it as HIS-tor-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “history” have?
3: his · tor · y. The beat lands on the first, “his”.
Is “history” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈhɪstɚi/ (HI-stuh-ee); British English says /hɪstəɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “history” mean?
As a noun: the aggregate of past events For example: “a critical time in the school's history” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “history”?
Stress the first syllable: HIS-tor-y. “his” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “history” 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.