How to pronounce nerve
Say it like NURV. Nerve 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 nerve. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- NURV
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Nerve pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- NURVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ur" in nurse.
American vs British pronunciation of nerve
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: NURV.
What does nerve mean?
- any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
- the courage to carry on“he kept fighting on pure spunk”“you haven't got the heart for baseball”
- impudent aggressiveness“I couldn't believe her boldness”“he had the effrontery to question my honesty”
- get ready for something difficult or unpleasant
Where does nerve come from?
Verb sense 4 (“to get on (someone’s) nerves”) is chiefly a semantic loan from German nerven.
Words that rhyme with nerve
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of nerve.
Questions about saying nerve
How do you pronounce nerve?
Say NURV. The American pronunciation is /nɝv/. In British English it is /nɜːv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in nerve?
Nerve is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: NURV.
Is nerve pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /nɜːv/ (NURV).