How to pronounce sleepy
Say it like SLEE-pee. Sleepy has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SLEE).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce sleepy. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SLEE
- pee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Sleepy pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SLEESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
- peeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of sleepy
American and British speakers say sleepy in essentially the same way: /ˈslipi/ in the US and /ˈsliːpi/ in the UK.
British respelling: SLEE-pee.
What does sleepy mean?
- ready to fall asleep“beginning to feel sleepy”“a sleepy-eyed child with drooping eyelids”
Where does sleepy come from?
From Middle English slepy, from Old English *slǣpiġ (attested in unslǣpiġ (“sleepless”)), from Proto-West Germanic *slāpag (“sleepy”), equivalent to sleep + -y.
Words that rhyme with sleepy
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of sleepy.
Questions about saying sleepy
How do you pronounce sleepy?
Say SLEE-pee. The American pronunciation is /ˈslipi/. In British English it is /ˈsliːpi/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in sleepy?
Sleepy has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SLEE). Broken into parts: SLEE · pee.
Do Americans and Brits say sleepy the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈslipi/ and the British form is /ˈsliːpi/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.