How to pronounce traffic
Say it like TRAF-ik. Traffic has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (TRAF).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce traffic. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TRAF
- ik
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Traffic pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TRAFSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
- ikKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of traffic
American and British speakers say traffic in essentially the same way: /ˈtræfɪk/ in the US and /ˈtræfɪk/ in the UK.
British respelling: TRAF-ik.
What does traffic mean?
- the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
- buying and selling; especially illicit trade
- the amount of activity over a communication system during a given period of time“heavy traffic overloaded the trunk lines”“traffic on the internet is lightest during the night”
- deal illegally“traffic drugs”
- trade or deal a commodity“They trafficked with us for gold”
Where does traffic come from?
The adjectival sense is possibly influenced by Tagalog trapik and follows a general trend in Philippine English to construct a noun from an adjective.
Words that rhyme with traffic
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of traffic.
- graphic
- geographic
- demographic
- photographic
- pornographic
- holographic
- topographic
- ethnographic
- hydrographic
- cartographic
Questions about saying traffic
How do you pronounce traffic?
Say TRAF-ik. The American pronunciation is /ˈtræfɪk/. In British English it is /ˈtræfɪk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in traffic?
Traffic has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (TRAF). Broken into parts: TRAF · ik.
Do Americans and Brits say traffic the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈtræfɪk/ and the British form is /ˈtræfɪk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.