Pronunciation

How to pronounce “wish”

“wish” is pronounced /wɪʃ/ (WISH) — one syllable.

The sound

Say “wish” in one beat

Say it like this

wish

/wɪʃ/

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

1 beat

IPA (American): /wɪʃ/
IPA (British): /wɪʃ/
Respelling: WISH
Syllables: 1 — wish
Stress: One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɪʃ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech: noun, verb
Difficulty: Beginner — most learners get this on the first take

Meaning

noun
a specific feeling of desire
“he got his wish”
noun
an expression of some desire or inclination
“I could tell that it was his wish that the guests leave”
noun
(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
“give him my kind regards”

Say it in a sentence

“She made a wish before blowing out the candles.”

Sound by sound

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

How do you pronounce “wish”?

“wish” is pronounced /wɪʃ/ (WISH) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wɪʃ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “wish” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /wɪʃ/ — a single beat.

What does “wish” mean?

As a noun: a specific feeling of desire For example: “he got his wish” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “wish”?

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

Practise this word

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.