Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookWord 461 of 545 · People and jobs
How to pronounce detective
/dɪˈtektɪv/ British English
di·TEK·tiv
3 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the second one.
✗ Many people say
DE·tec·tive
✓ Say
di·TEK·tiv
My tip
Stress the middle: di-TEK-tiv.
In a sentence
The detective found the answer.
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: di-TEK-tiv.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce detective?
In British English, detective is pronounced /dɪˈtektɪv/. Say it like this: di-TEK-tiv. Stress the middle: di-TEK-tiv.
How many syllables are in detective?
When you say it, detective has 3 syllables: di-TEK-tiv. The strong beat is the second one, TEK.
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