How to pronounce wife
Say it like WYFE. Wife 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 wife. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- WYFE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Wife pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WYFESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of wife
American and British speakers say wife in essentially the same way: /waɪf/ in the US and /waɪf/ in the UK.
British respelling: WYFE.
What does wife mean?
- a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
Where does wife come from?
Yet another suggestion connects Old High German weibōn (“move to and fro”), Old Norse veifa (“swing, throw”), for a motive of "one who is moving busily; housekeeper, maidservant" (cf.
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with wife
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of wife.
Questions about saying wife
How do you pronounce wife?
Say WYFE. The American pronunciation is /waɪf/. In British English it is /waɪf/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in wife?
Wife is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WYFE.
Do Americans and Brits say wife the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /waɪf/ and the British form is /waɪf/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.