How to pronounce beak
Say it like BEEK. Beak 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 beak. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BEEK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Beak pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BEEKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of beak
American and British speakers say beak in essentially the same way: /bik/ in the US and /biːk/ in the UK.
British respelling: BEEK.
What does beak mean?
- A rigid structure projecting from the front of a bird's face, used for pecking, grooming, foraging, carrying items, eating food, etc.
- A similar pointed structure forming the nose and mouth of various animals, such as turtles, platypuses, whales, etc.
- The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera.
- A justice of the peace; a magistrate.
- A schoolmaster (originally, at Eton).
- To strike with the beak.
- To seize with the beak.
- To play truant.
Where does beak come from?
From Middle English bec, borrowed from Anglo-Norman bec, Old French bec, from Latin beccus, from Gaulish *bekkos, from Proto-Celtic *bekkos (“beak, snout”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bak-, *baḱ- (“pointed stick, peg”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with beak
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of beak.
Questions about saying beak
How do you pronounce beak?
Say BEEK. The American pronunciation is /bik/. In British English it is /biːk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in beak?
Beak is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BEEK.
Do Americans and Brits say beak the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bik/ and the British form is /biːk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.