How to pronounce cleve
Say it like KLEEV. Cleve is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- KLEEV
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Cleve pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KLEEVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of cleve
American and British speakers say cleve in essentially the same way: /kliv/ in the US and /kliːv/ in the UK.
British respelling: KLEEV.
What does cleve mean?
- A small town on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, named after Cleve House in Devon, England.
Where does cleve come from?
From Middle English cleve, from Old English cleofa (“that which is cloven, a cleft, chasm, cave, den, lair, cell, chamber, cellar, apartment”), from Proto-Germanic *klebô (“chamber, cell”), from Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- (“to cut, cleave, split, divide”).
Words that rhyme with cleve
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of cleve.
Words that sound like cleve
Questions about saying cleve
How do you pronounce cleve?
Say KLEEV. The American pronunciation is /kliv/. In British English it is /kliːv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in cleve?
Cleve is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KLEEV.
Do Americans and Brits say cleve the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /kliv/ and the British form is /kliːv/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as cleve?
Cleve sounds the same as cleave in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.