Pronunciation

How to pronounce “pay

“pay” is pronounced /peɪ/ (PAY) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “pay” in one beat

Say it like this

pay

/peɪ/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. paypeɪ
IPA (American)
/peɪ/
IPA (British)
/peɪ/
Respelling
PAY
Syllables
1 — pay
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /peɪ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “pay” means

  1. noun

    something that remunerates

    wages were paid by check

  2. verb

    give money, usually in exchange for goods or services

    I paid four dollars for this sandwich

  3. verb

    convey, as of a compliment, regards, attention, etc.; bestow

    Don't pay him any mind

Say it in a sentence

They agreed to pay the rent at the start of each month.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

2 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

pay”, answered

How do you pronounce “pay”?

“pay” is pronounced /peɪ/ (PAY) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /peɪ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “pay” have?

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

What does “pay” mean?

As a noun: something that remunerates For example: “wages were paid by check” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “pay”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “pay” 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.