How to pronounce chime
Say it like CHYME. Chime 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 chime. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- CHYME
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Chime pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- CHYMESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of chime
American and British speakers say chime in essentially the same way: /tʃaɪm/ in the US and /tʃaɪm/ in the UK.
British respelling: CHYME.
What does chime mean?
- A musical instrument producing a sound when struck, similar to a bell (e.g. a tubular metal bar) or actually a bell. Often used in the plural to refer to the set: the chimes.“Hugo had a recording of someone playing the chimes against a background of surf noise that she found calming.”
- An individual ringing component of such a set.“Peter removed the C♯ chime from its mounting so that he could get at the dust that had accumulated underneath.”
- A small bell or other ringing or tone-making device as a component of some other device.“The professor had stuffed a wad of gum into the chime of his doorbell so that he wouldn't be bothered.”
- Alternative form of chine (“edge of a cask; part of a ship; etc.”).
- To make the sound of a chime.“The microwave chimed to indicate that it was done cooking.”
- To cause to sound in harmony; to play a tune, as upon a set of bells; to move or strike in harmony.
- To utter harmoniously; to recite rhythmically.
Where does chime come from?
From Middle English chymbe, chyme, probably from Old Northern French chimbe (“cymbal”), a back-formation from chimble, cimble, from Latin cymbalum; perhaps reinforced by a misinterpretation of a Middle English *chymbele (from Old English ċi
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with chime
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of chime.
Questions about saying chime
How do you pronounce chime?
Say CHYME. The American pronunciation is /tʃaɪm/. In British English it is /tʃaɪm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in chime?
Chime is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: CHYME.
Do Americans and Brits say chime the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tʃaɪm/ and the British form is /tʃaɪm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.