Pronunciation

How to pronounce “sister

“sister” is pronounced /ˈsɪstɚ/ (SI-stuh) in American English and /sɪstə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sis”.
The sound

Say “sister” in 2 beats

Say it like this

sister

/ˈsɪstɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. sisstress
  2. terstɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈsɪstɚ/
IPA (British)
/sɪstə/
Respelling
SI-stuh
Syllables
2 — SIS-ter
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SIS-ter. “sis” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɪstɚ/

British

/sɪstə/

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

Meaning

What “sister” means

  1. noun

    a female person who has the same parents as another person

    my sister married a musician

  2. noun

    (Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a nun (and used as a form of address)

    the Sisters taught her to love God

  3. noun

    a female person who is a fellow member of a sorority or labor union or other group

    none of her sisters would betray her

Say it in a sentence

Her sister moved to the coast right after college.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

sister”, answered

How do you pronounce “sister”?

“sister” is pronounced /ˈsɪstɚ/ (SI-stuh) in American English and /sɪstə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sis”. Build it as SIS-ter, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “sister” have?

2: sis · ter. The beat lands on the first, “sis”.

Is “sister” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɪstɚ/ (SI-stuh); British English says /sɪstə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “sister” mean?

As a noun: a female person who has the same parents as another person For example: “my sister married a musician” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “sister”?

Stress the first syllable: SIS-ter. “sis” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “sister” 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.