How to pronounce sty
Say it like STY. Sty 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 sty. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- STY
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Sty pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- STYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of sty
American and British speakers say sty in essentially the same way: /staɪ/ in the US and /staɪ/ in the UK.
British respelling: STY.
What does sty mean?
- A pen or enclosure for swine.
- A messy, dirty or debauched place.
- An inflammation of the eyelid.
- To place in, or as if in, a sty.
- To live in a sty, or any messy or dirty place.
Where does sty come from?
Cognate with German Stiege (“wooden crate”), dialectal German Steige (“hen-coop”), Danish sti (“sty, enclosure for swine, sheep, hens, etc.”), Swedish stia (“sty for pigs, geese, etc.”), Norwegian sti (“flock of sheep”), Icelandic stía (“a kennel”).
Words that rhyme with sty
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of sty.
Questions about saying sty
How do you pronounce sty?
Say STY. The American pronunciation is /staɪ/. In British English it is /staɪ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in sty?
Sty is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: STY.
Do Americans and Brits say sty the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /staɪ/ and the British form is /staɪ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.