How to pronounce si
Say it like SEE. Si 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 si. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SEE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Si pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SEESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of si
American and British speakers say si in essentially the same way: /si/ in the US and /siː/ in the UK.
British respelling: SEE.
What does si mean?
- a tetravalent nonmetallic element; next to oxygen it is the most abundant element in the earth's crust; occurs in clay and feldspar and granite and quartz and sand; used as a semiconductor in transistors
- a complete metric system of units of measurement for scientists; fundamental quantities are length (meter) and mass (kilogram) and time (second) and electric current (ampere) and temperature (kelvin) and amount of matter (mole) and luminous intensity (candela)“Today the United States is the only country in the world not totally committed to the Systeme International d'Unites”
- the syllable naming the seventh (subtonic) note of any musical scale in solmization
Where does si come from?
From Middle English si (“seventh degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian si in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the initials of Latin Sāncte Iohannēs (“Saint John (the Baptist)”) in the lyrics of the scale-
Words that rhyme with si
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of si.
Words that sound like si
Questions about saying si
How do you pronounce si?
Say SEE. The American pronunciation is /si/. In British English it is /siː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in si?
Si is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SEE.
Do Americans and Brits say si the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /si/ and the British form is /siː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as si?
Si sounds the same as sea, see in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.