How to pronounce sick
Say it like SIK. Sick 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 sick. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SIK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Sick pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SIKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of sick
American and British speakers say sick in essentially the same way: /sɪk/ in the US and /sɪk/ in the UK.
British respelling: SIK.
What does sick mean?
- affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function“ill from the monotony of his suffering”
- feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit
- affected with madness or insanity“a man who had gone mad”
- people who are sick“they devote their lives to caring for the sick”
- eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth“After drinking too much, the students vomited”“He purged continuously”
Where does sick come from?
The "very good, excellent" sense is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of "in poor health".
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with sick
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of sick.
Words that sound like sick
Questions about saying sick
How do you pronounce sick?
Say SIK. The American pronunciation is /sɪk/. In British English it is /sɪk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in sick?
Sick is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SIK.
Do Americans and Brits say sick the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /sɪk/ and the British form is /sɪk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as sick?
Sick sounds the same as sic in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.