Pronunciation

How to pronounce “item

“item” is pronounced /ˈaɪtəm/ (Y-tuhm) in American English and /aɪtəm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “it”.
The sound

Say “item” in 2 beats

Say it like this

item

/ˈaɪtəm/

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

2 beats
  1. itstress
  2. emtəm
IPA (American)
/ˈaɪtəm/
IPA (British)
/aɪtəm/
Respelling
Y-tuhm
Syllables
2 — IT-em
Stress
Stress the first syllable: IT-em. “it” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈaɪtəm/

British

/aɪtəm/

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

Meaning

What “item” means

  1. noun

    a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list

    he noticed an item in the New York Times

  2. noun

    a small part that can be considered separately from the whole

    it was perfect in all details

  3. noun

    a whole individual unit; especially when included in a list or collection

    they reduced the price on many items

Say it in a sentence

The last item on the list was a wooden ladder.
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

item”, answered

How do you pronounce “item”?

“item” is pronounced /ˈaɪtəm/ (Y-tuhm) in American English and /aɪtəm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “it”. Build it as IT-em, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “item” have?

2: it · em. The beat lands on the first, “it”.

Is “item” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈaɪtəm/ (Y-tuhm); British English says /aɪtəm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “item” mean?

As a noun: a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list For example: “he noticed an item in the New York Times” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “item”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “item” 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.