How to pronounce “private”
Say “private” in 2 beats
private
/ˈpɹaɪvət/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pɹaɪvət/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- pɹaɪpɹaɪstress
- vətvət
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɹaɪvət/
- IPA (British)
- /pɹaɪvət/
- Respelling
- PRY-vuht
- Syllables
- 2 — PɹAꞮ-vət
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PɹAꞮ-vət. “pɹaɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈpɹaɪvət/
/pɹaɪvət/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “private” means
- noun
an enlisted man of the lowest rank in the Army or Marines
“our prisoner was just a private and knew nothing of value”
- adjective
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
“a private place”
- adjective
concerning things deeply private and personal
“private correspondence”
Say it in a sentence
“They kept the details of the wedding fairly private.”“private”, answered
How do you pronounce “private”?
“private” is pronounced /ˈpɹaɪvət/ (PRY-vuht) in American English and /pɹaɪvət/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɹaɪ”. Build it as PɹAꞮ-vət, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “private” have?
2: pɹaɪ · vət. The beat lands on the first, “pɹaɪ”.
Is “private” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈpɹaɪvət/ (PRY-vuht); British English says /pɹaɪvət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “private” mean?
As a noun: an enlisted man of the lowest rank in the Army or Marines For example: “our prisoner was just a private and knew nothing of value” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “private”?
Stress the first syllable: PɹAꞮ-vət. “pɹaɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “private” 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.