Pronunciation

How to pronounce “refute

“refute” is pronounced /ɹɪˈfjut/ (ri-FYOOT) in American English and /ɹɪfjuːt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fjut”.
The sound

Say “refute” in 2 beats

Say it like this

refute

/ɹɪˈfjut/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹɪfjuːt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. ɹɪɹɪ
  2. fjutfjutstress
IPA (American)
/ɹɪˈfjut/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪfjuːt/
Respelling
ri-FYOOT
Syllables
2 — ɹɪ-FJUT
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɹɪ-FJUT. “fjut” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɹɪˈfjut/

British

/ɹɪfjuːt/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “refute” means

  1. verb

    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof

    The speaker refuted his opponent's arguments

  2. verb

    prove to be false or incorrect

Say it in a sentence

One photograph was enough to refute the whole claim.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

refute”, answered

How do you pronounce “refute”?

“refute” is pronounced /ɹɪˈfjut/ (ri-FYOOT) in American English and /ɹɪfjuːt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “fjut”. Build it as ɹɪ-FJUT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “refute” have?

2: ɹɪ · fjut. The beat lands on the second, “fjut”.

Is “refute” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɹɪˈfjut/ (ri-FYOOT); British English says /ɹɪfjuːt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “refute” mean?

As a verb: overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof For example: “The speaker refuted his opponent's arguments” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “refute”?

Stress the second syllable: ɹɪ-FJUT. “fjut” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “refute” 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.