How to pronounce “sleep”
Say “sleep” in one beat
sleep
/slip/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sliːp/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- sleepslip
- IPA (American)
- /slip/
- IPA (British)
- /sliːp/
- Respelling
- SLEEP
- Syllables
- 1 — sleep
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /slip/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/slip/
/sliːp/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “sleep” means
- noun
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
“he didn't get enough sleep last night”
- noun
a torpid state resembling deep sleep
- noun
a period of time spent sleeping
“he felt better after a little sleep”
Say it in a sentence
“She finds it hard to sleep after drinking coffee at night.”“sleep”, answered
How do you pronounce “sleep”?
“sleep” is pronounced /slip/ (SLEEP) in American English and /sliːp/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /slip/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “sleep” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /slip/ — a single beat.
Is “sleep” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /slip/ (SLEEP); British English says /sliːp/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “sleep” mean?
As a noun: a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended For example: “he didn't get enough sleep last night” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “sleep”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /slip/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “sleep” 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.