How to pronounce “lives”
Say “lives” in one beat
lives
/lɪvz/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /laɪvz/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- liveslɪvz
- IPA (American)
- /lɪvz/
- IPA (British)
- /laɪvz/
- Also accepted
- /laɪvz/
- Respelling
- LIVZ
- Syllables
- 1 — lives
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /lɪvz/ 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
/lɪvz/
/laɪvz/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “lives” means
- noun
a characteristic state or mode of living
“social life”
- noun
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
“he could no longer cope with the complexities of life”
- noun
the course of existence of an individual; the actions and events that occur in living
“he hoped for a new life in Australia”
Say it in a sentence
“The charity has changed the lives of many families.”“lives”, answered
How do you pronounce “lives”?
“lives” is pronounced /lɪvz/ (LIVZ) in American English and /laɪvz/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /lɪvz/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “lives” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /lɪvz/ — a single beat.
Is “lives” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /lɪvz/ (LIVZ); British English says /laɪvz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “lives” mean?
As a noun: a characteristic state or mode of living For example: “social life” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “lives”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /lɪvz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “lives” 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.