How to pronounce shave
Say it like SHAYV. Shave 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 shave. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SHAYV
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Shave pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SHAYVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of shave
American and British speakers say shave in essentially the same way: /ʃeɪv/ in the US and /ʃeɪv/ in the UK.
British respelling: SHAYV.
What does shave mean?
- remove body hair with a razor
- cut closely“trim my beard”
- cut the price of
- the act of removing hair with a razor
Where does shave come from?
Cognate with West Frisian skave, Dutch schaven, Low German schaven, German schaben, Danish skave, Norwegian Nynorsk skava, Swedish skava, Icelandic skafa, Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (skaban), all roughly “to scrape, chafe, shave, plane, remove the outer lay of”.
Words that rhyme with shave
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of shave.
Questions about saying shave
How do you pronounce shave?
Say SHAYV. The American pronunciation is /ʃeɪv/. In British English it is /ʃeɪv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in shave?
Shave is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SHAYV.
Do Americans and Brits say shave the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ʃeɪv/ and the British form is /ʃeɪv/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.