How to pronounce stye
Say it like STY. Stye 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 stye. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- STY
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Stye 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 stye
American and British speakers say stye in essentially the same way: /staɪ/ in the US and /staɪ/ in the UK.
British respelling: STY.
What does stye mean?
- A bacterial infection in the eyelash or eyelid.“have a stye”
- Alternative form of sty (“shelter for pigs”).
Where does stye come from?
First recorded in the 17th century; probably a back-formation from Middle English styanye (first recorded in the 15th century), which in turn comes from Old English stīgend (“a small tumor on the edge of the eyelid, stye”), from the verb s
Words that rhyme with stye
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of stye.
Questions about saying stye
How do you pronounce stye?
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 stye?
Stye is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: STY.
Do Americans and Brits say stye 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.