How to pronounce delicious
Say it like dih-LISH-us. Delicious has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LISH).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce delicious. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- dih
- LISH
- us
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Delicious pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- dihKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- LISHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- usKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of delicious
American and British speakers say delicious in essentially the same way: /dɪˈlɪʃəs/ in the US and /dɪˈlɪʃəs/ in the UK.
British respelling: dih-LISH-us.
What does delicious mean?
- greatly pleasing or entertaining“a delightful surprise”“the comedy was delightful”
- extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
- variety of sweet eating apples
Where does delicious come from?
From Middle English delicious, from Anglo-Norman delicious, from Old French delicious, delicieux, from Late Latin dēliciōsus (“delicate, delicious”), from dēliciae (“delights”), plural of dēlicia (“pleasure”), from delicere (“to allure, to
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with delicious
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of delicious.
Questions about saying delicious
How do you pronounce delicious?
Say dih-LISH-us. The American pronunciation is /dɪˈlɪʃəs/. In British English it is /dɪˈlɪʃəs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in delicious?
Delicious has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LISH). Broken into parts: dih · LISH · us.
Do Americans and Brits say delicious the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /dɪˈlɪʃəs/ and the British form is /dɪˈlɪʃəs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.