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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “library”

“library” is pronounced /ˈlaɪbɹɛɹi/ (LY-brair-ee) in American English and /ˈlaɪbɹəri/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “lib”.
The sound

Say “library” in 3 beats

Say it like this

library

/ˈlaɪbɹɛɹi/

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

3 beats
  1. liblaɪstress
  2. rarbɹɛ
  3. yɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈlaɪbɹɛɹi/
IPA (British)
/ˈlaɪbɹəri/
Respelling
LY-brair-ee
Syllables
3 — LIB-rar-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: LIB-rar-y. “lib” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall 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

/ˈlaɪbɹɛɹi/

British

/ˈlaɪbɹəri/

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

Watch out

Where “library” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    “LY-berry”/ˈlaɪbɛɹi/

    keep the first r: it is ly-BRAIR-ee, not ly-berry

Meaning

What “library” means

  1. noun

    a room where books are kept

    “they had brandy in the library”

  2. noun

    a collection of literary documents or records kept for reference or borrowing

  3. noun

    a depository built to contain books and other materials for reading and study

Say it in a sentence

“The library stays open until nine during the exam period.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
llaɪlong ibbɹr×2ɛshort eilong e

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

Questions

“library”, answered

How do you pronounce “library”?

“library” is pronounced /ˈlaɪbɹɛɹi/ (LY-brair-ee) in American English and /ˈlaɪbɹəri/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “lib”. Build it as LIB-rar-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “library” have?

3: lib · rar · y. The beat lands on the first, “lib”.

Is “library” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈlaɪbɹɛɹi/ (LY-brair-ee); British English says /ˈlaɪbɹəri/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “library” mean?

As a noun: a room where books are kept For example: “they had brandy in the library” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “library”?

Stress the first syllable: LIB-rar-y. “lib” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “library” and see every sound

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