How to pronounce suspicious
Say it like suh-SPISH-us. Suspicious has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (SPISH).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce suspicious. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- suh
- SPISH
- us
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Suspicious pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- suhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- SPISHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- usKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of suspicious
American and British speakers say suspicious in essentially the same way: /səˈspɪʃəs/ in the US and /səˈspɪʃəs/ in the UK.
British respelling: suh-SPISH-us.
What does suspicious mean?
- openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
- not as expected“there was something fishy about the accident”“up to some funny business”
Where does suspicious come from?
From Old French sospecious, from Latin suspiciosus, suspitiosus.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with suspicious
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of suspicious.
Questions about saying suspicious
How do you pronounce suspicious?
Say suh-SPISH-us. The American pronunciation is /səˈspɪʃəs/. In British English it is /səˈspɪʃəs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in suspicious?
Suspicious has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (SPISH). Broken into parts: suh · SPISH · us.
Do Americans and Brits say suspicious the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /səˈspɪʃəs/ and the British form is /səˈspɪʃəs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.