How To Pronounce Serve

serve

Phonemic

/sɜːv/

Phonetic

[sɜːʴv]

Phonemic

/sɝːv/

In British English, serve is pronounced /sɜːv/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [sɜːʴv]. In American English, it is pronounced /sɝːv/.

Serve has one syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

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

sɜːv

Serve has one syllable in British English.

serve + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/sɜːvz/

/sɝːvz/

serve + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/sɜːvd/

/sɝːvd/

serve + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/ˈsɜː.vɪŋ/

/ˈsɝː.vɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Serve

Questions About Serve

How do you pronounce serve in British English?

In British English, serve is pronounced /sɜːv/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [sɜːʴv].

How do you pronounce serve in American English?

In American English, serve is pronounced /sɝːv/.

Do British and American English pronounce serve the same way?

No. British English has /sɜːv/ and American English has /sɝːv/.

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