Pronunciation

How to pronounce “prime

“prime” is pronounced /pɹaɪm/ (PRYM) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “prime” in one beat

Say it like this

prime

/pɹaɪm/

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

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

What “prime” means

  1. noun

    a number that has no factor but itself and 1

  2. noun

    the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

  3. noun

    the second canonical hour; about 6 a.m.

Say it in a sentence

Seventeen is a prime, so the class could not divide evenly.
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

prime”, answered

How do you pronounce “prime”?

“prime” is pronounced /pɹaɪm/ (PRYM) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /pɹaɪm/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “prime” have?

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

What does “prime” mean?

As a noun: a number that has no factor but itself and 1 For example: “Seventeen is a prime, so the class could not divide evenly.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “prime”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “prime” 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.