How to pronounce believe
Say it like bih-LEEV. Believe has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LEEV).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce believe. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- bih
- LEEV
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Believe pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- bihKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- LEEVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of believe
American and British speakers say believe in essentially the same way: /bɪˈliv/ in the US and /bɪˈliːv/ in the UK.
British respelling: bih-LEEV.
What does believe mean?
- accept as true; take to be true“I believed his report”“We didn't believe his stories from the War”
- judge or regard; look upon; judge“I think he is very smart”“I believe her to be very smart”
- be confident about something“I believe that he will come back from the war”
Where does believe come from?
The prepositionally transitive senses with in are a semantic loan from Latin crēdō in aliquem / aliquid.
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with believe
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of believe.
Questions about saying believe
How do you pronounce believe?
Say bih-LEEV. The American pronunciation is /bɪˈliv/. In British English it is /bɪˈliːv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in believe?
Believe has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LEEV). Broken into parts: bih · LEEV.
Do Americans and Brits say believe the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bɪˈliv/ and the British form is /bɪˈliːv/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.