How to pronounce “identify”
Say “identify” in 4 beats
identify
/aɪˈdɛntəˌfaɪ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /aɪdɛntɪfaɪ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- idaɪ
- endɛnstress
- tiftə
- yfaɪ
- IPA (American)
- /aɪˈdɛntəˌfaɪ/
- IPA (British)
- /aɪdɛntɪfaɪ/
- Respelling
- y-DEN-tuh-fy
- Syllables
- 4 — id-EN-tif-y
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: id-EN-tif-y. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/aɪˈdɛntəˌfaɪ/
/aɪdɛntɪfaɪ/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “identify” means
- verb
recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something
“She identified the man on the 'wanted' poster”
- verb
give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property
“Many senators were named in connection with the scandal”
- verb
consider (oneself) as similar to somebody else
“He identified with the refugees”
Say it in a sentence
“Can you identify the bird singing outside the window?”“identify”, answered
How do you pronounce “identify”?
“identify” is pronounced /aɪˈdɛntəˌfaɪ/ (y-DEN-tuh-fy) in American English and /aɪdɛntɪfaɪ/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as id-EN-tif-y, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “identify” have?
4: id · en · tif · y. The beat lands on the second, “en”.
Is “identify” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /aɪˈdɛntəˌfaɪ/ (y-DEN-tuh-fy); British English says /aɪdɛntɪfaɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “identify” mean?
As a verb: recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something For example: “She identified the man on the 'wanted' poster” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “identify”?
Stress the second syllable: id-EN-tif-y. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “identify” 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.