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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “improve”

“improve” is pronounced /ˌɪmˈpɹuv/ (im-PROOV) in American English and /ɪmpɹuːv/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɹuv”.
The sound

Say “improve” in 2 beats

Say it like this

improve

/ˌɪmˈpɹuv/

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

2 beats
  1. ɪmɪm
  2. pɹuvpɹuvstress
IPA (American)
/ˌɪmˈpɹuv/
IPA (British)
/ɪmpɹuːv/
Respelling
im-PROOV
Syllables
2 — ɪm-PɹUV
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪm-PɹUV. “pɹuv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪmˈpɹuv/

British

/ɪmpɹuːv/

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

Meaning

What “improve” means

  1. verb

    to make better

    “The editor improved the manuscript with his changes”

  2. verb

    get better

    “The weather improved toward evening”

Say it in a sentence

“Recording yourself is the fastest way to improve.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort immppɹrulong oovv

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

Questions

“improve”, answered

How do you pronounce “improve”?

“improve” is pronounced /ˌɪmˈpɹuv/ (im-PROOV) in American English and /ɪmpɹuːv/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɹuv”. Build it as ɪm-PɹUV, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “improve” have?

2: ɪm · pɹuv. The beat lands on the second, “pɹuv”.

Is “improve” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪmˈpɹuv/ (im-PROOV); British English says /ɪmpɹuːv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “improve” mean?

As a verb: to make better For example: “The editor improved the manuscript with his changes” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “improve”?

Stress the second syllable: ɪm-PɹUV. “pɹuv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “improve” and see every sound

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