How to pronounce speck
Say it like SPEK. Speck 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 speck. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SPEK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Speck pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SPEKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of speck
American and British speakers say speck in essentially the same way: /spɛk/ in the US and /spɛk/ in the UK.
British respelling: SPEK.
What does speck mean?
- A tiny spot or particle, especially of dirt.“a tiny speck of soot”
- A very small amount; a particle; a whit.“He has not a speck of money.”
- A small etheostomoid fish, Etheostoma stigmaeum, common in the eastern United States.
- Fat; lard; fat meat.
- A juniper-flavored ham originally from Tyrol.
- The blubber of whales or other marine mammals.
- To mark with specks; to speckle.“paper specked by impurities in the water used in its manufacture”
Where does speck come from?
From Middle English spekke, from Old English specca (“small spot, stain”), from the same ultimate source as Proto-Germanic *sprakô (“spark”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with speck
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of speck.
Words that sound like speck
Questions about saying speck
How do you pronounce speck?
Say SPEK. The American pronunciation is /spɛk/. In British English it is /spɛk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in speck?
Speck is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SPEK.
Do Americans and Brits say speck the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /spɛk/ and the British form is /spɛk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as speck?
Speck sounds the same as spec in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.