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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “traffic”

“traffic” is pronounced /ˈtɹæfɪk/ (TRA-fik) in American English and /tɹafɪk/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “traf”.
The sound

Say “traffic” in 2 beats

Say it like this

traffic

/ˈtɹæfɪk/

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

2 beats
  1. traftɹæstress
  2. ficfɪk
IPA (American)
/ˈtɹæfɪk/
IPA (British)
/tɹafɪk/
Respelling
TRA-fik
Syllables
2 — TRAF-fic
Stress
Stress the first syllable: TRAF-fic. “traf” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈtɹæfɪk/

British

/tɹafɪk/

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

Meaning

What “traffic” means

  1. noun

    the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time

  2. noun

    buying and selling; especially illicit trade

  3. noun

    the amount of activity over a communication system during a given period of time

    “heavy traffic overloaded the trunk lines”

Say it in a sentence

“The traffic was heavier than usual because of the storm.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ttɹræshort affɪshort ikk

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

Questions

“traffic”, answered

How do you pronounce “traffic”?

“traffic” is pronounced /ˈtɹæfɪk/ (TRA-fik) in American English and /tɹafɪk/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “traf”. Build it as TRAF-fic, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “traffic” have?

2: traf · fic. The beat lands on the first, “traf”.

Is “traffic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈtɹæfɪk/ (TRA-fik); British English says /tɹafɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “traffic” mean?

As a noun: the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time For example: “The traffic was heavier than usual because of the storm.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “traffic”?

Stress the first syllable: TRAF-fic. “traf” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “traffic” and see every sound

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