How to pronounce hive
Say it like HYVE. Hive 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 hive. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HYVE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Hive pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HYVESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of hive
American and British speakers say hive in essentially the same way: /haɪv/ in the US and /haɪv/ in the UK.
British respelling: HYVE.
What does hive mean?
- a teeming multitude
- a man-made receptacle that houses a swarm of bees
- a structure that provides a natural habitation for bees; as in a hollow tree
- store, like bees“bees hive honey and pollen”“He hived lots of information”
- move together in a hive or as if in a hive“The bee swarms are hiving”
- gather into a hive“The beekeeper hived the swarm”
Where does hive come from?
The computing term was chosen as an in-joke relating to bees; see this for more.
Words that rhyme with hive
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of hive.
Questions about saying hive
How do you pronounce hive?
Say HYVE. The American pronunciation is /haɪv/. In British English it is /haɪv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in hive?
Hive is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: HYVE.
Do Americans and Brits say hive the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /haɪv/ and the British form is /haɪv/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.