How to pronounce leech
Say it like LEECH. Leech 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 leech. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LEECH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Leech pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LEECHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of leech
American and British speakers say leech in essentially the same way: /litʃ/ in the US and /liːtʃ/ in the UK.
British respelling: LEECH.
What does leech mean?
- A typically aquatic blood-sucking annelid of the subclass Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.
- A person who derives advantage from others in a parasitic fashion.
- A glass tube designed for drawing blood from damaged tissue by means of a vacuum.
- A healer.
- To apply a leech medicinally, so that it sucks blood from the patient.
- To drain (resources) without giving back.“Bert leeched hundreds of files from the BBS, but never uploaded anything in return.”
Where does leech come from?
From Middle English leche (“blood-sucking worm”), from Old English lǣċe (“blood-sucking worm”), akin to Middle Dutch lāke ("blood-sucking worm"; > modern Dutch laak).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with leech
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of leech.
Words that sound like leech
Questions about saying leech
How do you pronounce leech?
Say LEECH. The American pronunciation is /litʃ/. In British English it is /liːtʃ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in leech?
Leech is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: LEECH.
Do Americans and Brits say leech the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /litʃ/ and the British form is /liːtʃ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as leech?
Leech sounds the same as leach in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.