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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “species”

“species” is pronounced /ˈspiʃiz/ (SPEE-sheez) in American English and /spiːsiːz/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “spec”.
The sound

Say “species” in 2 beats

Say it like this

species

/ˈspiʃiz/

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

2 beats
  1. specspistress
  2. iesʃiz
IPA (American)
/ˈspiʃiz/
IPA (British)
/spiːsiːz/
Respelling
SPEE-sheez
Syllables
2 — SPEC-ies
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SPEC-ies. “spec” 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

/ˈspiʃiz/

British

/spiːsiːz/

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

Meaning

What “species” means

  1. noun

    (biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed

  2. noun

    a specific kind of something

    “a species of molecule”

  3. noun

    coins collectively

Say it in a sentence

“The forest is home to several rare species of birds.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
ssppilong e×2ʃshzz

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“species”, answered

How do you pronounce “species”?

“species” is pronounced /ˈspiʃiz/ (SPEE-sheez) in American English and /spiːsiːz/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “spec”. Build it as SPEC-ies, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “species” have?

2: spec · ies. The beat lands on the first, “spec”.

Is “species” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈspiʃiz/ (SPEE-sheez); British English says /spiːsiːz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “species” mean?

As a noun: (biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed For example: “The forest is home to several rare species of birds.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “species”?

Stress the first syllable: SPEC-ies. “spec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “species” and see every sound

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