How To Pronounce Safe
safe
UK
Phonemic
/seɪf/
Phonetic
[seɪf]
US
Phonemic
/seɪf/
In British English, safe is pronounced /seɪf/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [seɪf]. In American English, it is pronounced /seɪf/.
Safe 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
seɪf
Safe has one syllable in British English.
safe + -s
-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /s/ after a voiceless consonant.
UK
/seɪfs/
US
/seɪfs/
safe + -er
-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English.
UK
/ˈseɪ.fə/
US
/ˈseɪ.fɚ/
safe + -est
-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/.
UK
/ˈseɪ.fɪst/
US
/ˈseɪ.fɪst/
Questions About Safe
How do you pronounce safe in British English?
In British English, safe is pronounced /seɪf/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [seɪf].
How do you pronounce safe in American English?
In American English, safe is pronounced /seɪf/.
Do British and American English pronounce safe the same way?
Yes. Both are /seɪf/.
Nearby Words
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