How to pronounce “speak”
Say “speak” in one beat
speak
/spik/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /spiːk/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- speakspik
- IPA (American)
- /spik/
- IPA (British)
- /spiːk/
- Respelling
- SPEEK
- Syllables
- 1 — speak
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /spik/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/spik/
/spiːk/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “speak” means
- verb
express in speech
“She talks a lot of nonsense”
- verb
exchange thoughts; talk with
“We often talk business”
- verb
use language
“the baby talks already”
Say it in a sentence
“She was too nervous to speak during the meeting.”“speak”, answered
How do you pronounce “speak”?
“speak” is pronounced /spik/ (SPEEK) in American English and /spiːk/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /spik/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “speak” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /spik/ — a single beat.
Is “speak” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /spik/ (SPEEK); British English says /spiːk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “speak” mean?
As a verb: express in speech For example: “She talks a lot of nonsense” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “speak”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /spik/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “speak” 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.