How to pronounce “leave”
Say “leave” in one beat
leave
/liv/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /liːv/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- leaveliv
- IPA (American)
- /liv/
- IPA (British)
- /liːv/
- Respelling
- LEEV
- Syllables
- 1 — leave
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /liv/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/liv/
/liːv/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “leave” means
- noun
the period of time during which you are absent from work or duty
“a ten day's leave to visit his mother”
- noun
permission to do something
“she was granted leave to speak”
- noun
the act of departing politely
“he disliked long farewells”
Say it in a sentence
“She decided to leave the party a little earlier than planned.”“leave”, answered
How do you pronounce “leave”?
“leave” is pronounced /liv/ (LEEV) in American English and /liːv/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /liv/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “leave” have?
One, despite the 3 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /liv/ — a single beat.
Is “leave” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /liv/ (LEEV); British English says /liːv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “leave” mean?
As a noun: the period of time during which you are absent from work or duty For example: “a ten day's leave to visit his mother” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “leave”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /liv/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “leave” 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.