Pronunciation

How to pronounce “white

“white” is pronounced /waɪt/ (WYT), and /hwaɪt/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “white” in one beat

Say it like this

white

/waɪt/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. whitewaɪt
IPA (American)
/waɪt/
IPA (British)
/waɪt/
Also accepted
/hwaɪt/
Respelling
WYT
Syllables
1 — white
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /waɪt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “white” means

  1. noun

    a member of the Caucasoid race

  2. noun

    the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black)

  3. noun

    United States jurist appointed chief justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1910 by President Taft; noted for his work on antitrust legislation (1845-1921)

Say it in a sentence

She painted the whole kitchen white over one long weekend.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 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

white”, answered

How do you pronounce “white”?

“white” is pronounced /waɪt/ (WYT), and /hwaɪt/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /waɪt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “white” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /waɪt/ — a single beat.

Is “white” /waɪt/ or /hwaɪt/?

Both. /waɪt/ is the form dictionaries list first (WYT).

What does “white” mean?

As a noun: a member of the Caucasoid race For example: “She painted the whole kitchen white over one long weekend.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “white”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /waɪt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “white” 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.