How to pronounce deep
Say it like DEEP. Deep 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 deep. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- DEEP
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Deep pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DEEPSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of deep
American and British speakers say deep in essentially the same way: /dip/ in the US and /diːp/ in the UK.
British respelling: DEEP.
What does deep mean?
- relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply“a deep breath”“a deep sigh”
- marked by depth of thinking“deep thoughts”“a deep allegory”
- having great spatial extension or penetration downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or laterally or outward from a center; sometimes used in combination“a deep well”“a deep dive”
- to a great depth; far down or in“dived deeply”“dug deep”
- to an advanced time“deep into the night”“talked late into the evening”
- to a great distance“penetrated deep into enemy territory”“went deep into the woods”
- the central and most intense or profound part“in the deep of night”“in the deep of winter”
- a long steep-sided depression in the ocean floor
- literary term for an ocean“denizens of the deep”
Where does deep come from?
Cognate with Scots depe (“deep”), North Frisian diip, jip (“deep”), Saterland Frisian djoop (“deep”), West Frisian djip (“deep”), Dutch diep (“deep”), Low German deep (“deep”), Luxembourgish déif (“deep”), Central Franconian deep, deef (“de
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with deep
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of deep.
Questions about saying deep
How do you pronounce deep?
Say DEEP. The American pronunciation is /dip/. In British English it is /diːp/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in deep?
Deep is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: DEEP.
Do Americans and Brits say deep the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /dip/ and the British form is /diːp/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.