How to pronounce wipe
Say it like WYPE. Wipe is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- WYPE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Wipe pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WYPESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of wipe
American and British speakers say wipe in essentially the same way: /waɪp/ in the US and /waɪp/ in the UK.
British respelling: WYPE.
What does wipe mean?
- To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.)“Melissa wiped her glasses with her shirt.”
- To smear (a substance) with this kind of motion.“You've wiped grease all over your shirt.”
- To remove by rubbing; to rub off; to obliterate; usually followed by away, off, or out.
- The act of wiping something.“multiple wipes of a computer's hard disk”
- A soft piece of cloth or cloth-like material used for wiping.
- A kind of film transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape.
- A lapwing, especially a northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus).
Where does wipe come from?
From Middle English wipen, from Old English wīpian (“to wipe, rub, cleanse”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīpōn (“to wipe”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to twist, wind around”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
- wipeoff
- pass over
- rub
Words that rhyme with wipe
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of wipe.
Questions about saying wipe
How do you pronounce wipe?
Say WYPE. The American pronunciation is /waɪp/. In British English it is /waɪp/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in wipe?
Wipe is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WYPE.
Do Americans and Brits say wipe the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /waɪp/ and the British form is /waɪp/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.