How to pronounce she
Say it like SHEE. She 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 she. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SHEE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
She pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SHEESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of she
American and British speakers say she in essentially the same way: /ʃi/ in the US and /ʃiː/ in the UK.
British respelling: SHEE.
What does she mean?
- The female (typically) person or animal previously mentioned or implied.“I asked Mary, but she said that she didn't know.”
- A ship or boat.“She could do forty knots in good weather.”
- A country, or sometimes a city, province, planet, etc.“She is a poor place, but has beautiful scenery and friendly people.”
- A female.“Pat is definitely a she.”
- To refer to (someone) using she/her pronouns.
Where does she come from?
Neither etymology would be expected to yield the modern vocalism in /iː/ (the expected form would be shoo, which is in fact found dialectally).
Words that rhyme with she
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of she.
Words that sound like she
Questions about saying she
How do you pronounce she?
Say SHEE. The American pronunciation is /ʃi/. In British English it is /ʃiː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in she?
She is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SHEE.
Do Americans and Brits say she the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ʃi/ and the British form is /ʃiː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as she?
She sounds the same as xi in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.