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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “leader”

“leader” is pronounced /ˈlidɚ/ (LEE-duh) in American English and /liːdə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “lead”.
The sound

Say “leader” in 2 beats

Say it like this

leader

/ˈlidɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. leadlistress
  2. erdɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈlidɚ/
IPA (British)
/liːdə/
Respelling
LEE-duh
Syllables
2 — LEAD-er
Stress
Stress the first syllable: LEAD-er. “lead” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈlidɚ/

British

/liːdə/

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

Meaning

What “leader” means

  1. noun

    a person who rules or guides or inspires others

  2. noun

    a featured article of merchandise sold at a loss in order to draw customers

Say it in a sentence

“She was chosen as the team leader for the project.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
llilong eddɚschwa

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

Questions

“leader”, answered

How do you pronounce “leader”?

“leader” is pronounced /ˈlidɚ/ (LEE-duh) in American English and /liːdə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “lead”. Build it as LEAD-er, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “leader” have?

2: lead · er. The beat lands on the first, “lead”.

Is “leader” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈlidɚ/ (LEE-duh); British English says /liːdə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “leader” mean?

As a noun: a person who rules or guides or inspires others For example: “She was chosen as the team leader for the project.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “leader”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “leader” 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.

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