How to pronounce swim
Say it like SWIM. Swim 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 swim. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SWIM
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Swim pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SWIMSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of swim
American and British speakers say swim in essentially the same way: /swɪm/ in the US and /swɪm/ in the UK.
British respelling: SWIM.
What does swim mean?
- travel through water“We had to swim for 20 minutes to reach the shore”“a big fish was swimming in the tank”
- be afloat either on or below a liquid surface and not sink to the bottom
- be dizzy or giddy“my brain is swimming after the bottle of champagne”
- the act of swimming“it was the swimming they enjoyed most”“they took a short swim in the pool”
Where does swim come from?
Cognate with North Frisian sweem, swome, swume, swumi, swumme, swääm (“to swim”), Saterland Frisian and West Frisian swimme (“to swim”), Dutch zwemmen (“to swim”), German schwimmen (“to swim”), Limburgish schwämme, zwömme (“to swim”), Low G
Words that rhyme with swim
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of swim.
Questions about saying swim
How do you pronounce swim?
Say SWIM. The American pronunciation is /swɪm/. In British English it is /swɪm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in swim?
Swim is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SWIM.
Do Americans and Brits say swim the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /swɪm/ and the British form is /swɪm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.