How to pronounce hilarious
Say it like hih-LER-ee-us. Hilarious has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LER).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce hilarious. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- hih
- LER
- ee
- us
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Hilarious pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- hihKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- LERSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- eeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
- usKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of hilarious
American and British speakers say hilarious in essentially the same way: /hɪˈlɛriəs/ in the US and /hɪˈlɛəriəs/ in the UK.
British respelling: hih-LAIR-ree-us.
What does hilarious mean?
- marked by or causing boisterous merriment or convulsive laughter“hilarious broad comedy”“a screaming farce”
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with hilarious
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of hilarious.
Questions about saying hilarious
How do you pronounce hilarious?
Say hih-LER-ee-us. The American pronunciation is /hɪˈlɛriəs/. In British English it is /hɪˈlɛəriəs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in hilarious?
Hilarious has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LER). Broken into parts: hih · LER · ee · us.
Do Americans and Brits say hilarious the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /hɪˈlɛriəs/ and the British form is /hɪˈlɛəriəs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.