How to pronounce please
Say it like PLEEZ. Please 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 please. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- PLEEZ
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Please pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- PLEEZSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of please
American and British speakers say please in essentially the same way: /pliz/ in the US and /pliːz/ in the UK.
British respelling: PLEEZ.
What does please mean?
- give pleasure to or be pleasing to“These colors please the senses”“a pleasing sensation”
- be the will of or have the will (to)“he could do many things if he pleased”
- give satisfaction“The waiters around her aim to please”
- used in polite request“please pay attention”
Where does please come from?
From Middle English plesen, plaisen, borrowed from Old French plaise, conjugated form of plaisir or plaire, from Latin placeō (“to please, to seem good”), from the Proto-Indo-European *pleHk- (“pleasingness, permission”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with please
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of please.
Questions about saying please
How do you pronounce please?
Say PLEEZ. The American pronunciation is /pliz/. In British English it is /pliːz/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in please?
Please is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: PLEEZ.
Do Americans and Brits say please the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /pliz/ and the British form is /pliːz/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.