How to pronounce dive
Say it like DYVE. Dive 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 dive. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- DYVE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Dive pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DYVESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of dive
American and British speakers say dive in essentially the same way: /daɪv/ in the US and /daɪv/ in the UK.
British respelling: DYVE.
What does dive mean?
- a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall
- a headlong plunge into water
- a steep nose-down descent by an aircraft
- drop steeply“the stock market plunged”
- plunge into water“I was afraid to dive from the board into the pool”
- swim under water“the children enjoyed diving and looking for shells”
Where does dive come from?
From Middle English diven, duven, from the merger of Old English dȳfan (“to dip, immerse”, transitive weak verb) (from Proto-Germanic *dūbijaną) and dūfan (“to duck, dive, sink, penetrate”, intransitive strong verb) (past participle ġedofen).
Words that rhyme with dive
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of dive.
Questions about saying dive
How do you pronounce dive?
Say DYVE. The American pronunciation is /daɪv/. In British English it is /daɪv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in dive?
Dive is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: DYVE.
Do Americans and Brits say dive the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /daɪv/ and the British form is /daɪv/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.