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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “specify”

“specify” is pronounced /ˈspɛsəˌfaɪ/ (SPE-suh-fy) in American English and /spɛsɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “spec”.
The sound

Say “specify” in 3 beats

Say it like this

specify

/ˈspɛsəˌfaɪ/

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

3 beats
  1. specspɛstress
  2. ifsə
  3. yfaɪ
IPA (American)
/ˈspɛsəˌfaɪ/
IPA (British)
/spɛsɪfaɪ/
Respelling
SPE-suh-fy
Syllables
3 — SPEC-if-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SPEC-if-y. “spec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈspɛsəˌfaɪ/

British

/spɛsɪfaɪ/

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

Meaning

What “specify” means

  1. verb

    specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement

    “The will stipulates that she can live in the house for the rest of her life”

  2. verb

    decide upon or fix definitely

    “fix the variables”

  3. verb

    determine the essential quality of

Say it in a sentence

“Please specify the size when you order the frame.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ss×2ppɛshort eəschwaffaɪlong i

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

Questions

“specify”, answered

How do you pronounce “specify”?

“specify” is pronounced /ˈspɛsəˌfaɪ/ (SPE-suh-fy) in American English and /spɛsɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “spec”. Build it as SPEC-if-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “specify” have?

3: spec · if · y. The beat lands on the first, “spec”.

Is “specify” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈspɛsəˌfaɪ/ (SPE-suh-fy); British English says /spɛsɪfaɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “specify” mean?

As a verb: specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement For example: “The will stipulates that she can live in the house for the rest of her life” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “specify”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “specify” and see every sound

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