How to pronounce bike
Say it like BYKE. Bike 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 bike. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BYKE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bike pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BYKESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of bike
American and British speakers say bike in essentially the same way: /baɪk/ in the US and /baɪk/ in the UK.
British respelling: BYKE.
What does bike mean?
- a motor vehicle with two wheels and a strong frame
- a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals
- ride a bicycle
Where does bike come from?
One explanation for the form with /k/ is that bicycle was parsed to bi(cy)c(le).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with bike
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bike.
Questions about saying bike
How do you pronounce bike?
Say BYKE. The American pronunciation is /baɪk/. In British English it is /baɪk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bike?
Bike is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BYKE.
Do Americans and Brits say bike the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /baɪk/ and the British form is /baɪk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.