How to pronounce “really”
Say “really” in 2 beats
really
/ˈɹɪli/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹiəlɪ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- realɹɪstress
- lyli
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɹɪli/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹiəlɪ/
- Also accepted
- /ˈɹili/
- Respelling
- RI-lee
- Syllables
- 2 — REAL-ly
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: REAL-ly. “real” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɹɪli/
/ɹiəlɪ/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “really” means
- adverb
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
“she was now truly American”
- adverb
in actual fact
“to be nominally but not actually independent”
- adverb
in fact (used as intensifiers or sentence modifiers)
“in truth, moral decay hastened the decline of the Roman Empire”
Say it in a sentence
“I really appreciate you taking the time to help me move.”“really”, answered
How do you pronounce “really”?
“really” is pronounced /ˈɹɪli/ (RI-lee) in American English and /ɹiəlɪ/ in British English, and /ˈɹili/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “real”. Build it as REAL-ly, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “really” have?
2: real · ly. The beat lands on the first, “real”.
Is “really” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɹɪli/ (RI-lee); British English says /ɹiəlɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “really” mean?
As an adverb: in accordance with truth or fact or reality For example: “she was now truly American” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “really”?
Stress the first syllable: REAL-ly. “real” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “really” 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.