How to pronounce slick
Say it like SLIK. Slick 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 slick. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SLIK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Slick pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SLIKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of slick
American and British speakers say slick in essentially the same way: /slɪk/ in the US and /slɪk/ in the UK.
British respelling: SLIK.
What does slick mean?
- a slippery smoothness“he could feel the slickness of the tiller”
- a magazine printed on good quality paper
- a film of oil or garbage floating on top of water
- make slick or smooth
- give a smooth and glossy appearance“slick one's hair”
- made slick by e.g. ice or grease“sidewalks slick with ice”“roads are slickest when rain has just started and hasn't had time to wash away the oil”
- superficially impressive, but lacking depth and attention to the true complexities of a subject“too facile a solution for so complex a problem”“it was a neat plan, but bound to fail”
- having only superficial plausibility“glib promises”“a slick commercial”
Where does slick come from?
Akin to Dutch sluik, dialectal Dutch sleek (“even, smooth”), Old Norse slíkr (“sleek, smooth”), Old English slician (“to make sleek, smooth, or glossy”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with slick
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of slick.
Questions about saying slick
How do you pronounce slick?
Say SLIK. The American pronunciation is /slɪk/. In British English it is /slɪk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in slick?
Slick is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SLIK.
Do Americans and Brits say slick the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /slɪk/ and the British form is /slɪk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.