How to pronounce nice
Say it like NYCE. Nice 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 nice. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- NYCE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Nice pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- NYCESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of nice
American and British speakers say nice in essentially the same way: /naɪs/ in the US and /naɪs/ in the UK.
British respelling: NYCE.
Other ways to say nice
Nice also has this pronunciation, usually with a different meaning or use:
- NEES /nis/
What does nice mean?
- pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance“what a nice fellow you are and we all thought you so nasty”“nice manners”
- socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous“from a decent family”“a nice girl”
- done with delicacy and skill“a nice bit of craft”“a job requiring nice measurements with a micrometer”
- a city in southeastern France on the Mediterranean; the leading resort on the French Riviera
Where does nice come from?
From Middle English nyce, nice, nys, from Old French nice, niche, nisce (“simple, foolish, ignorant”), from Latin nescius (“ignorant, not knowing”); compare nesciō (“to know not, be ignorant of”), from ne (“not”) + sciō (“to know”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
- nasty
Words that rhyme with nice
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of nice.
Questions about saying nice
How do you pronounce nice?
Say NYCE. The American pronunciation is /naɪs/. In British English it is /naɪs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in nice?
Nice is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: NYCE.
Do Americans and Brits say nice the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /naɪs/ and the British form is /naɪs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.