How to pronounce time
Say it like TYME. Time is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- TYME
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Time pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TYMESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of time
American and British speakers say time in essentially the same way: /taɪm/ in the US and /taɪm/ in the UK.
British respelling: TYME.
What does time mean?
- The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.“Time stops for nobody. the ebb and flow of time”
- The feeling of the passage of events and their relative duration, as experienced by an individual.“Time flies when you're having fun.”
- A dimension of spacetime with the opposite metric signature to space dimensions; the fourth dimension.“Both science-fiction writers and physicists have written about travel through time.”
- To measure or record the time, duration, or rate of something.“I used a stopwatch to time myself running around the block.”
- To choose when something commences or its duration.“The President timed his speech badly, coinciding with the Super Bowl.”
- To regulate as to time; to accompany, or agree with, in time of movement.
- Reminder by the umpire for the players to continue playing after their pause.
- The umpire's call in prizefights, etc.
- A call by a bartender to warn patrons that the establishment is closing and no more drinks will be served.“Time gentlemen please!”
Where does time come from?
* Swedish timma, timme (“hour”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with time
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of time.
Questions about saying time
How do you pronounce time?
Say TYME. The American pronunciation is /taɪm/. In British English it is /taɪm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in time?
Time is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: TYME.
Do Americans and Brits say time the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /taɪm/ and the British form is /taɪm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.