How to pronounce ditch
Say it like DICH. Ditch is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- DICH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Ditch pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DICHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of ditch
American and British speakers say ditch in essentially the same way: /dɪtʃ/ in the US and /dɪtʃ/ in the UK.
British respelling: DICH.
What does ditch mean?
- A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for irrigation or drainage.“Digging ditches has long been considered one of the most demanding forms of manual labor.”
- A raised bank of earth and the hedgerow on top.
- To discard or abandon; to stop associating with (someone).“Once the sun came out we ditched our rain-gear and started a campfire.”
- To deliberately crash-land an airplane on water.“When the second engine failed, the pilot was forced to ditch; their last location was just south of the Azores.”
- To deliberately not attend classes; to play hookey.“The truant officer caught Louise ditching with her friends, and her parents were forced to pay a fine.”
- Alternative form of deech.
Where does ditch come from?
From Middle English dich, from Old English dīċ (“trench, moat”) from Proto-Germanic *dīkaz (compare Swedish dike, Icelandic díki, West Frisian dyk (“dam”), Dutch dijk (“dam”), German Teich (“pond”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to s
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with ditch
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of ditch.
Questions about saying ditch
How do you pronounce ditch?
Say DICH. The American pronunciation is /dɪtʃ/. In British English it is /dɪtʃ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in ditch?
Ditch is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: DICH.
Do Americans and Brits say ditch the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /dɪtʃ/ and the British form is /dɪtʃ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.