How to pronounce “privacy”
Say “privacy” in 3 beats
privacy
/ˈpɹaɪvəsi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈpɹɪvəsi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- privpɹaɪstress
- acvə
- ysi
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɹaɪvəsi/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈpɹɪvəsi/
- Respelling
- PRY-vuh-see (UK PRIV-uh-see)
- Syllables
- 3 — PRIV-ac-y
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PRIV-ac-y. “priv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈpɹaɪvəsi/
The first vowel is the one in eye.
/ˈpɹɪvəsi/
The first vowel is the short i of sit.
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “privacy” goes wrong
- Often heard
“one form is wrong”
American English says PRY-vuh-see; British English usually says PRIV-uh-see. Both are correct.
What “privacy” means
- noun
the quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others
- noun
the condition of being concealed or hidden
Say it in a sentence
“He values his privacy and rarely gives interviews.”“privacy”, answered
How do you pronounce “privacy”?
“privacy” is pronounced /ˈpɹaɪvəsi/ (PRY-vuh-see (UK PRIV-uh-see)) in American English and /ˈpɹɪvəsi/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “priv”. Build it as PRIV-ac-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “privacy” have?
3: priv · ac · y. The beat lands on the first, “priv”.
Is “privacy” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈpɹaɪvəsi/ (PRY-vuh-see (UK PRIV-uh-see)); British English says /ˈpɹɪvəsi/. The first vowel is the short i of sit. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “privacy” mean?
As a noun: the quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others For example: “He values his privacy and rarely gives interviews.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “privacy”?
Stress the first syllable: PRIV-ac-y. “priv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “privacy” 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.