Pronunciation

How to pronounce “needs

“needs” is pronounced /nidz/ (NEEDZ) in American English and /niːdz/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “needs” in one beat

Say it like this

needs

/nidz/

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

1 beat
  1. needsnidz
IPA (American)
/nidz/
IPA (British)
/niːdz/
Respelling
NEEDZ
Syllables
1 — needs
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nidz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/nidz/

British

/niːdz/

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

Meaning

What “needs” means

  1. noun

    a condition requiring relief

    she satisfied his need for affection

  2. noun

    anything that is necessary but lacking

    he had sufficient means to meet his simple needs

  3. noun

    the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior

    we did not understand his motivation

Say it in a sentence

The garden needs watering twice a week during summer.
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

needs”, answered

How do you pronounce “needs”?

“needs” is pronounced /nidz/ (NEEDZ) in American English and /niːdz/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /nidz/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “needs” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /nidz/ — a single beat.

Is “needs” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /nidz/ (NEEDZ); British English says /niːdz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “needs” mean?

As a noun: a condition requiring relief For example: “she satisfied his need for affection” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “needs”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nidz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “needs” 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.