Pronunciation

How to pronounce “thereby

“thereby” is pronounced /ˈðɛɹˈbaɪ/ (DHER-by) in American English and /ðeəbaɪ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ðɛɹ”.
The sound

Say “thereby” in 2 beats

Say it like this

thereby

/ˈðɛɹˈbaɪ/

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

2 beats
  1. ðɛɹðɛɹstress
  2. baɪbaɪ
IPA (American)
/ˈðɛɹˈbaɪ/
IPA (British)
/ðeəbaɪ/
Respelling
DHER-by
Syllables
2 — ÐƐɹ-baɪ
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ÐƐɹ-baɪ. “ðɛɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adverb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈðɛɹˈbaɪ/

British

/ðeəbaɪ/

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

Meaning

What “thereby” means

  1. adverb

    by that means or because of that

    He knocked over the red wine, thereby ruining the table cloth

Say it in a sentence

He locked the gate, thereby trapping the cat inside.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

thereby”, answered

How do you pronounce “thereby”?

“thereby” is pronounced /ˈðɛɹˈbaɪ/ (DHER-by) in American English and /ðeəbaɪ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ðɛɹ”. Build it as ÐƐɹ-baɪ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “thereby” have?

2: ðɛɹ · baɪ. The beat lands on the first, “ðɛɹ”.

Is “thereby” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈðɛɹˈbaɪ/ (DHER-by); British English says /ðeəbaɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “thereby” mean?

As an adverb: by that means or because of that For example: “He knocked over the red wine, thereby ruining the table cloth”

Where is the stress in “thereby”?

Stress the first syllable: ÐƐɹ-baɪ. “ðɛɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “thereby” and see every sound

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