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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “modify”

“modify” is pronounced /ˈmɑdəˌfaɪ/ (MAH-duh-fy) in American English and /mɒdɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mod”.
The sound

Say “modify” in 3 beats

Say it like this

modify

/ˈmɑdəˌfaɪ/

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

3 beats
  1. modmɑstress
  2. ifdə
  3. yfaɪ
IPA (American)
/ˈmɑdəˌfaɪ/
IPA (British)
/mɒdɪfaɪ/
Respelling
MAH-duh-fy
Syllables
3 — MOD-if-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MOD-if-y. “mod” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmɑdəˌfaɪ/

British

/mɒdɪfaɪ/

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

Meaning

What “modify” means

  1. verb

    make less severe or harsh or extreme

    “please modify this letter to make it more polite”

  2. verb

    add a modifier to a constituent

  3. verb

    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

    “The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city”

Say it in a sentence

“We had to modify the design to fit the smaller space.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
mmɑahddəschwaffaɪlong i

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

Questions

“modify”, answered

How do you pronounce “modify”?

“modify” is pronounced /ˈmɑdəˌfaɪ/ (MAH-duh-fy) in American English and /mɒdɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mod”. Build it as MOD-if-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “modify” have?

3: mod · if · y. The beat lands on the first, “mod”.

Is “modify” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɑdəˌfaɪ/ (MAH-duh-fy); British English says /mɒdɪfaɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “modify” mean?

As a verb: make less severe or harsh or extreme For example: “please modify this letter to make it more polite” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “modify”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “modify” and see every sound

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