How To Pronounce Big
big
UK
Phonemic
/bɪɡ/
Phonetic
[bɪɡ̚]
US
Phonemic
/bɪɡ/
In British English, big is pronounced /bɪɡ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [bɪɡ̚]. In American English, it is pronounced /bɪɡ/.
Big has one syllable. British and American speakers say it the same way.
Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.
Syllables, Stress And Endings
Syllables And Stress
bɪɡ
Big has one syllable in British English.
big + -er
-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English.
UK
/ˈbɪɡ.ə/
US
/ˈbɪɡ.ɚ/
big + -est
-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/.
UK
/ˈbɪɡ.ɪst/
US
/ˈbɪɡ.ɪst/
Words That Rhyme With Big
Questions About Big
How do you pronounce big in British English?
In British English, big is pronounced /bɪɡ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [bɪɡ̚].
How do you pronounce big in American English?
In American English, big is pronounced /bɪɡ/.
Do British and American English pronounce big the same way?
Yes. Both are /bɪɡ/.
Nearby Words
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