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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “relax”

“relax” is pronounced /ɹɪˈlæks/ (ri-LAKS) in American English and /ɹɪlaks/ in British English, and /ɹiˈlæks/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “ax”.
The sound

Say “relax” in 2 beats

Say it like this

relax

/ɹɪˈlæks/

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

2 beats
  1. relɹɪ
  2. axlæksstress
IPA (American)
/ɹɪˈlæks/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪlaks/
Also accepted
/ɹiˈlæks/
Respelling
ri-LAKS
Syllables
2 — rel-AX
Stress
Stress the second syllable: rel-AX. “ax” 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

/ɹɪˈlæks/

British

/ɹɪlaks/

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

Meaning

What “relax” means

  1. verb

    become less tense, rest, or take one's ease

    “He relaxed in the hot tub”

  2. verb

    make less taut

    “relax the tension on the rope”

  3. verb

    become loose or looser or less tight

    “The noose loosened”

Say it in a sentence

“He cannot relax until every tool is back on its hook.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ɹrɪshort illæshort akkss

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“relax”, answered

How do you pronounce “relax”?

“relax” is pronounced /ɹɪˈlæks/ (ri-LAKS) in American English and /ɹɪlaks/ in British English, and /ɹiˈlæks/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “ax”. Build it as rel-AX, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “relax” have?

2: rel · ax. The beat lands on the second, “ax”.

Is “relax” said differently in British English?

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

What does “relax” mean?

As a verb: become less tense, rest, or take one's ease For example: “He relaxed in the hot tub” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “relax”?

Stress the second syllable: rel-AX. “ax” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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