How to pronounce svelte
Say it like SVELT. Svelte 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 svelte. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SVELT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Svelte pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SVELTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of svelte
American and British speakers say svelte in essentially the same way: /svɛlt/ in the US and /svɛlt/ in the UK.
British respelling: SVELT.
What does svelte mean?
- Attractively thin; gracefully slender.
- Refined, delicate.
Where does svelte come from?
Borrowed from French svelte, from Italian svelto (“stretched out”), past participle of svellere (“to pluck out, root out”), from Vulgar Latin *exvellere, from ex + vellere (“to pluck, stretch”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with svelte
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of svelte.
Questions about saying svelte
How do you pronounce svelte?
Say SVELT. The American pronunciation is /svɛlt/. In British English it is /svɛlt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in svelte?
Svelte is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SVELT.
Do Americans and Brits say svelte the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /svɛlt/ and the British form is /svɛlt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.