How to pronounce chief
Say it like CHEEF. Chief is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- CHEEF
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Chief pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- CHEEFSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of chief
American and British speakers say chief in essentially the same way: /tʃif/ in the US and /tʃiːf/ in the UK.
British respelling: CHEEF.
What does chief mean?
- The leader or head of a tribe, organisation, business unit, or other group.“All firefighters report to the fire chief.”
- Headship, the status of being a chief or leader.“Bob is our troubleshooter in chief.”
- The top part of a shield or escutcheon; more specifically, an ordinary consisting of the upper part of the field cut off by a horizontal line, generally occupying the top third.
- Primary; principal.“Negligence was the chief cause of the disaster.”
- Intimate, friendly.
- To smoke cannabis.
Where does chief come from?
Doublet of cape (“point of land”), capo, caput, and chef through Latin (possibly also related to cape (“sleeveless garment”) and cap (“head covering”) from Latin cappa); doublet of head and Howth through Proto-Indo-European.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with chief
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of chief.
Questions about saying chief
How do you pronounce chief?
Say CHEEF. The American pronunciation is /tʃif/. In British English it is /tʃiːf/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in chief?
Chief is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: CHEEF.
Do Americans and Brits say chief the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tʃif/ and the British form is /tʃiːf/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.