How to pronounce space
Say it like SPAYS. Space 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 space. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SPAYS
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Space pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SPAYSSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of space
American and British speakers say space in essentially the same way: /speɪs/ in the US and /speɪs/ in the UK.
British respelling: SPAYS.
What does space mean?
- the unlimited expanse in which everything is located“they tested his ability to locate objects in space”“the boundless regions of the infinite”
- an empty area (usually bounded in some way between things)“the architect left space in front of the building”“they stopped at an open space in the jungle”
- an area reserved for some particular purpose“the laboratory's floor space”
- place at intervals“Space the interviews so that you have some time between the different candidates”
Where does space come from?
From Middle English space, from Anglo-Norman space, variant of espace, espas, et al.; and spaze, variant of espace, from Latin spatium, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peh₂- (“to stretch, to pull”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with space
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of space.
Questions about saying space
How do you pronounce space?
Say SPAYS. The American pronunciation is /speɪs/. In British English it is /speɪs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in space?
Space is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SPAYS.
Do Americans and Brits say space the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /speɪs/ and the British form is /speɪs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.