How to pronounce fine
Say it like FYNE. Fine 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 fine. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FYNE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Fine pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FYNESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of fine
American and British speakers say fine in essentially the same way: /faɪn/ in the US and /faɪn/ in the UK.
British respelling: FYNE.
What does fine mean?
- being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition“an all-right movie”“the passengers were shaken up but are all right”
- minutely precise especially in differences in meaning“a fine distinction”
- thin in thickness or diameter“a fine film of oil”“fine hairs”
- an expression of agreement normally occurring at the beginning of a sentence
- in a delicate manner“finely shaped features”“her fine drawn body”
- money extracted as a penalty
Where does fine come from?
From Middle English fin, fyn, from Old French fin (“fine, minute, exact”), of obscure origin, but probably derived from Latin fīnīre (“to finish”) or fīnis (“boundary, limit, end”), with an abstract sense of fine or thin also arising in man
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with fine
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of fine.
Questions about saying fine
How do you pronounce fine?
Say FYNE. The American pronunciation is /faɪn/. In British English it is /faɪn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in fine?
Fine is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: FYNE.
Do Americans and Brits say fine the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /faɪn/ and the British form is /faɪn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.