How to pronounce climb
Say it like KLYME. Climb 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 climb. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KLYME
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Climb pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KLYMESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of climb
American and British speakers say climb in essentially the same way: /klaɪm/ in the US and /klaɪm/ in the UK.
British respelling: KLYME.
What does climb mean?
- go upward with gradual or continuous progress“Did you ever climb up the hill behind your house?”
- move with difficulty, by grasping
- go up or advance“Sales were climbing after prices were lowered”
- an upward slope or grade (as in a road)“the car couldn't make it up the rise”
- an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
- the act of climbing something“it was a difficult climb to the top”
Where does climb come from?
From Middle English climben, clymben, from Old English climban (“to climb”), from Proto-West Germanic *klimban, from Proto-Germanic *klimbaną (“to climb, go up by clinging”), believed to be a nasalised variant of Proto-Germanic *klibaną, *k
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with climb
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of climb.
Questions about saying climb
How do you pronounce climb?
Say KLYME. The American pronunciation is /klaɪm/. In British English it is /klaɪm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in climb?
Climb is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KLYME.
Do Americans and Brits say climb the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /klaɪm/ and the British form is /klaɪm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.