How to pronounce “spirit”
Say “spirit” in 2 beats
spirit
/ˈspɪɹət/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /spɪɹɪt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- spirspɪstress
- itɹət
- IPA (American)
- /ˈspɪɹət/
- IPA (British)
- /spɪɹɪt/
- Also accepted
- /ˈspɪɹɪt/
- Respelling
- SPI-ruht
- Syllables
- 2 — SPIR-it
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: SPIR-it. “spir” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈspɪɹət/
/spɪɹɪt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “spirit” means
- noun
the vital principle or animating force within living things
- noun
the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people
“the feel of the city excited him”
- noun
a fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character
Say it in a sentence
“The whole team showed great spirit despite the tough loss.”“spirit”, answered
How do you pronounce “spirit”?
“spirit” is pronounced /ˈspɪɹət/ (SPI-ruht) in American English and /spɪɹɪt/ in British English, and /ˈspɪɹɪt/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “spir”. Build it as SPIR-it, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “spirit” have?
2: spir · it. The beat lands on the first, “spir”.
Is “spirit” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈspɪɹət/ (SPI-ruht); British English says /spɪɹɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “spirit” mean?
As a noun: the vital principle or animating force within living things For example: “The whole team showed great spirit despite the tough loss.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “spirit”?
Stress the first syllable: SPIR-it. “spir” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “spirit” 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.