How to pronounce “theme”
Say “theme” in one beat
theme
/θim/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /θiːm/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- themeθim
- IPA (American)
- /θim/
- IPA (British)
- /θiːm/
- Respelling
- THEEM
- Syllables
- 1 — theme
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /θim/ 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
/θim/
/θiːm/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “theme” means
- noun
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
“he didn't want to discuss that subject”
- noun
a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic work
“it was the usual `boy gets girl' theme”
- noun
(music) melodic subject of a musical composition
“the theme is announced in the first measures”
Say it in a sentence
“The theme of the evening was food from the southern coast.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“theme”, answered
How do you pronounce “theme”?
“theme” is pronounced /θim/ (THEEM) in American English and /θiːm/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /θim/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “theme” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /θim/ — a single beat.
Is “theme” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /θim/ (THEEM); British English says /θiːm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “theme” mean?
As a noun: the subject matter of a conversation or discussion For example: “he didn't want to discuss that subject” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “theme”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /θim/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “theme” 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.