How to pronounce spruce
Say it like SPROOS. Spruce 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 spruce. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SPROOS
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Spruce pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SPROOSSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of spruce
American and British speakers say spruce in essentially the same way: /sprus/ in the US and /spruːs/ in the UK.
British respelling: SPROOS.
What does spruce mean?
- Any of various large coniferous evergreen trees or shrubs from the genus Picea, found in northern temperate and boreal regions; originally and more fully spruce fir.
- The wood of a spruce.
- Made of the wood of the spruce.“That spruce table is beautiful!”
- To arrange neatly; tidy up.
- To make oneself spruce (neat and elegant in appearance).
- To tease.
- Smart, trim, and elegant in appearance; fastidious (said of a person).
Where does spruce come from?
From Middle English Spruce, an alteration of Pruce (“Prussia”), from Medieval Latin, from a Baltic language, probably Old Prussian; for more, see Prussia.
Words that rhyme with spruce
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of spruce.
Questions about saying spruce
How do you pronounce spruce?
Say SPROOS. The American pronunciation is /sprus/. In British English it is /spruːs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in spruce?
Spruce is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SPROOS.
Do Americans and Brits say spruce the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /sprus/ and the British form is /spruːs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.