How To Pronounce Key
key
UK
Phonemic
/kiː/
Phonetic
[kʰiː]
US
Phonemic
/kiː/
In British English, key is pronounced /kiː/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [kʰiː]. In American English, it is pronounced /kiː/.
Key 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
kiː
Key has one syllable in British English.
key + -s
-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.
UK
/kiːz/
US
/kiːz/
key + -ed
-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.
UK
/kiːd/
US
/kiːd/
key + -ing
-ing is always /ɪŋ/.
UK
/ˈkiː.ɪŋ/
US
/ˈkiː.ɪŋ/
Words That Rhyme With Key
Questions About Key
How do you pronounce key in British English?
In British English, key is pronounced /kiː/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [kʰiː].
How do you pronounce key in American English?
In American English, key is pronounced /kiː/.
Do British and American English pronounce key the same way?
Yes. Both are /kiː/.
Nearby Words
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