How to pronounce give
Say it like GHIV. Give 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 give. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- GHIV
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Give pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- GHIVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of give
American and British speakers say give in essentially the same way: /ɡɪv/ in the US and /ɡɪv/ in the UK.
British respelling: GHIV.
What does give mean?
- cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense“She gave him a black eye”“The draft gave me a cold”
- be the cause or source of“He gave me a lot of trouble”“Our meeting afforded much interesting information”
- transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody“I gave her my money”“can you give me lessons?”
- the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
Where does give come from?
Cognate with Yola gee, ye, yie, yive (“to give”), Scots gie (“to give”), North Frisian gjiuwe, iiv, jiiw, jiw, jeewe (“to give”), West Frisian jaan (“to give”), Alemannic German gë (“to give”), Bavarian gebn (“to give”), Central Franconian
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with give
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of give.
Questions about saying give
How do you pronounce give?
Say GHIV. The American pronunciation is /ɡɪv/. In British English it is /ɡɪv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in give?
Give is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: GHIV.
Do Americans and Brits say give the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ɡɪv/ and the British form is /ɡɪv/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.