How to pronounce delightful
Say it like dih-LYTE-ful. Delightful has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LYTE).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce delightful. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- dih
- LYTE
- ful
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Delightful 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.
- LYTESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
- fulKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of delightful
American and British speakers say delightful in essentially the same way: /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/ in the US and /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/ in the UK.
British respelling: dih-LYTE-ful.
What does delightful mean?
- greatly pleasing or entertaining“a delightful surprise”“the comedy was delightful”
Where does delightful come from?
From Middle English deliteful, delitfull, equivalent to delight + -ful.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with delightful
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of delightful.
Questions about saying delightful
How do you pronounce delightful?
Say dih-LYTE-ful. The American pronunciation is /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/. In British English it is /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in delightful?
Delightful has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LYTE). Broken into parts: dih · LYTE · ful.
Do Americans and Brits say delightful the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/ and the British form is /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.