How To Pronounce Pay
pay
UK
Phonemic
/peɪ/
Phonetic
[pʰeɪ]
US
Phonemic
/peɪ/
In British English, pay is pronounced /peɪ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [pʰeɪ]. In American English, it is pronounced /peɪ/.
Pay 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
peɪ
Pay has one syllable in British English.
pay + -s
-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.
UK
/peɪz/
US
/peɪz/
pay + -ing
-ing is always /ɪŋ/.
UK
/ˈpeɪ.ɪŋ/
US
/ˈpeɪ.ɪŋ/
Words That Rhyme With Pay
Questions About Pay
How do you pronounce pay in British English?
In British English, pay is pronounced /peɪ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [pʰeɪ].
How do you pronounce pay in American English?
In American English, pay is pronounced /peɪ/.
Do British and American English pronounce pay the same way?
Yes. Both are /peɪ/.
Nearby Words
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