How to pronounce be
Say it like BEE. Be is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce be. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BEE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Be pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BEESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of be
American and British speakers say be in essentially the same way: /bi/ in the US and /biː/ in the UK.
British respelling: BEE.
What does be mean?
- have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)“John is rich”“This is not a good answer”
- be identical to; be someone or something“The president of the company is John Smith”“This is my house”
- occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere“Where is my umbrella?”“The toolshed is in the back”
- a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element
Words that rhyme with be
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of be.
Words that sound like be
Questions about saying be
How do you pronounce be?
Say BEE. The American pronunciation is /bi/. In British English it is /biː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in be?
Be is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BEE.
Do Americans and Brits say be the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bi/ and the British form is /biː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as be?
Be sounds the same as bee in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.