How to pronounce “river”
Say “river” in 2 beats
river
/ˈɹɪvɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹɪvə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- rivɹɪstress
- ervɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɹɪvɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹɪvə/
- Respelling
- RI-vuh
- Syllables
- 2 — RIV-er
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: RIV-er. “riv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɹɪvɚ/
/ɹɪvə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “river” means
- noun
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
“the river was navigable for 50 miles”
Say it in a sentence
“They paddled a canoe down the slow-moving river.”“river”, answered
How do you pronounce “river”?
“river” is pronounced /ˈɹɪvɚ/ (RI-vuh) in American English and /ɹɪvə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “riv”. Build it as RIV-er, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “river” have?
2: riv · er. The beat lands on the first, “riv”.
Is “river” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɹɪvɚ/ (RI-vuh); British English says /ɹɪvə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “river” mean?
As a noun: a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek) For example: “the river was navigable for 50 miles”
Where is the stress in “river”?
Stress the first syllable: RIV-er. “riv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “river” 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.