Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookWord 530 of 545 · The stress trap
How to pronounce specific
/spəˈsɪfɪk/ British English
spə·SIF·ik
3 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the second one.
✗ Many people say
pa·CI·fic
✓ Say
spə·SIF·ik
My tip
Start with sp: spə-SIF-ik. Don’t say Pacific, the ocean!
In a sentence
Can you be more specific?
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: spə-SIF-ik.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce specific?
In British English, specific is pronounced /spəˈsɪfɪk/. Say it like this: spə-SIF-ik. Start with sp: spə-SIF-ik. Don’t say Pacific, the ocean!
How many syllables are in specific?
When you say it, specific has 3 syllables: spə-SIF-ik. The strong beat is the second one, SIF.
More words like this: the stress trap
Practise these sounds
- The schwa, /ə/The small, weak sound in this word. It’s one of the 4 sounds you can practise completely free in my Sound Atlas.
- The strong beat: /ɪ/ as in “ship”Meet this sound and hear it in my Sound Atlas. Free.
- The Sound MapAll 44 sounds of British English, in my voice. Free.
- Pitch Perfect: the Word stress setHear me say it, record yourself, and see your sound under mine. A premium game.
- More gamesFive of my English games are free to play.