How to pronounce lady
Say it like LAY-dee. Lady has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LAY).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce lady. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LAY
- dee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Lady pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LAYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
- deeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of lady
American and British speakers say lady in essentially the same way: /ˈleɪdi/ in the US and /ˈleɪdi/ in the UK.
British respelling: LAY-dee.
What does lady mean?
- a polite name for any woman“a nice lady at the library helped me”
- a woman of refinement“a chauffeur opened the door of the limousine for the grand lady”
- a woman of the peerage in Britain
Where does lady come from?
From Middle English lady, laddy, lafdi, lavedi, from Old English hlǣfdīġe (“mistress of a household, wife of a lord, lady”, literally “bread-kneader”), from hlāf (“bread, loaf”) + dǣġe (“kneader”), related to Old English dǣġe (“maker of dou
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with lady
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of lady.
Questions about saying lady
How do you pronounce lady?
Say LAY-dee. The American pronunciation is /ˈleɪdi/. In British English it is /ˈleɪdi/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in lady?
Lady has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LAY). Broken into parts: LAY · dee.
Do Americans and Brits say lady the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈleɪdi/ and the British form is /ˈleɪdi/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.