How to pronounce “serious”
Say “serious” in 3 beats
serious
/ˈsɪɹiəs/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /siəɹiəs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- sɪsɪstress
- ɹiɹi
- əsəs
- IPA (American)
- /ˈsɪɹiəs/
- IPA (British)
- /siəɹiəs/
- Respelling
- SI-ree-uhs
- Syllables
- 3 — SꞮ-ɹi-əs
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: SꞮ-ɹi-əs. “sɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈsɪɹiəs/
/siəɹiəs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “serious” means
- adjective
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
“a serious student of history”
- adjective
of great consequence
“marriage is a serious matter”
- adjective
causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
“a dangerous operation”
Say it in a sentence
“The doctor looked serious after reviewing the test results.”“serious”, answered
How do you pronounce “serious”?
“serious” is pronounced /ˈsɪɹiəs/ (SI-ree-uhs) in American English and /siəɹiəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “sɪ”. Build it as SꞮ-ɹi-əs, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “serious” have?
3: sɪ · ɹi · əs. The beat lands on the first, “sɪ”.
Is “serious” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈsɪɹiəs/ (SI-ree-uhs); British English says /siəɹiəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “serious” mean?
As an adjective: concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities For example: “a serious student of history” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “serious”?
Stress the first syllable: SꞮ-ɹi-əs. “sɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “serious” 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.