Pronunciation

How to pronounce “memory

“memory” is pronounced /ˈmɛmɚi/ (ME-muh-ee) in American English and /mɛməɹi/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mem”.
The sound

Say “memory” in 3 beats

Say it like this

memory

/ˈmɛmɚi/

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

3 beats
  1. memstress
  2. or
  3. yi
IPA (American)
/ˈmɛmɚi/
IPA (British)
/mɛməɹi/
Respelling
ME-muh-ee
Syllables
3 — MEM-or-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MEM-or-y. “mem” 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

/ˈmɛmɚi/

British

/mɛməɹi/

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

Meaning

What “memory” means

  1. noun

    something that is remembered

    search as he would, the memory was lost

  2. noun

    the cognitive processes whereby past experience is remembered

    he can do it from memory

  3. noun

    the power of retaining and recalling past experience

    he had a good memory when he was younger

Say it in a sentence

The old photograph brought back a happy childhood memory.
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

memory”, answered

How do you pronounce “memory”?

“memory” is pronounced /ˈmɛmɚi/ (ME-muh-ee) in American English and /mɛməɹi/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mem”. Build it as MEM-or-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “memory” have?

3: mem · or · y. The beat lands on the first, “mem”.

Is “memory” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɛmɚi/ (ME-muh-ee); British English says /mɛməɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “memory” mean?

As a noun: something that is remembered For example: “search as he would, the memory was lost” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “memory”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “memory” 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.