How to pronounce yankee
Say it like YANG-kee. Yankee has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (YANG).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce yankee. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- YANG
- kee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Yankee pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- YANGSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
- keeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of yankee
American and British speakers say yankee in essentially the same way: /ˈjæŋki/ in the US and /ˈjæŋki/ in the UK.
British respelling: YANG-kee.
What does yankee mean?
- A headsail resembling a genoa or a jib but with a high-cut clew, normally used together with a staysail. A sailing boat is typically equipped with three yankee sails of different sizes, number one being the largest.
- Alternative letter-case form of Yankee from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.
Words that rhyme with yankee
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of yankee.
Questions about saying yankee
How do you pronounce yankee?
Say YANG-kee. The American pronunciation is /ˈjæŋki/. In British English it is /ˈjæŋki/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in yankee?
Yankee has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (YANG). Broken into parts: YANG · kee.
Do Americans and Brits say yankee the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈjæŋki/ and the British form is /ˈjæŋki/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.