How to pronounce lime
Say it like LYME. Lime 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 lime. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LYME
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Lime pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LYMESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of lime
American and British speakers say lime in essentially the same way: /laɪm/ in the US and /laɪm/ in the UK.
British respelling: LYME.
What does lime mean?
- a caustic substance produced by heating limestone
- a white crystalline oxide used in the production of calcium hydroxide
- a sticky adhesive that is smeared on small branches to capture small birds
- spread birdlime on branches to catch birds
- cover with lime so as to induce growth“lime the lawn”
Where does lime come from?
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Liem (“glue”), Dutch lijm (“glue”), German Leim (“glue”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish lim (“glue”), Faroese and Icelandic lím (“glue”), Latin limus (“mud”).
Words that rhyme with lime
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of lime.
Questions about saying lime
How do you pronounce lime?
Say LYME. The American pronunciation is /laɪm/. In British English it is /laɪm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in lime?
Lime is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: LYME.
Do Americans and Brits say lime the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /laɪm/ and the British form is /laɪm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.