How to pronounce breed
Say it like BREED. Breed 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 breed. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BREED
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Breed pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BREEDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of breed
American and British speakers say breed in essentially the same way: /brid/ in the US and /briːd/ in the UK.
British respelling: BREED.
What does breed mean?
- call forth
- cause to procreate (animals)“She breeds dogs”
- have young (animals) or reproduce (organisms)“pandas rarely breed in captivity”
- a special variety of domesticated animals within a species“he experimented on a particular breed of white rats”“he created a new strain of sheep”
- a special type“Google represents a new breed of entrepreneurs”
Where does breed come from?
Inherited from Middle English breden, from Old English brēdan, from Proto-Germanic *brōdijaną (“to brood”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁- (“warm”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with breed
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of breed.
Questions about saying breed
How do you pronounce breed?
Say BREED. The American pronunciation is /brid/. In British English it is /briːd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in breed?
Breed is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BREED.
Do Americans and Brits say breed the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /brid/ and the British form is /briːd/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.