How to pronounce detective
detective
/dɪˈtektɪv/
3 syllables, stress on the second
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Detective, sound by sound
| /d/as in day | Tongue tip on the ridge behind the teeth. Do not turn it into “t” at the end of a word. |
| /ɪ/as in ship | A short, relaxed sound. Do not stretch it into “ee”. |
| /t/as in ten | Tongue tip on the ridge behind the upper teeth, not on the teeth. With a light puff of air. |
| /e/as in bed | A short “e” as in “bed”; the mouth is slightly open. |
| /k/as in cat | With a light puff of air at the start of a word. |
| /t/as in ten | Tongue tip on the ridge behind the upper teeth, not on the teeth. With a light puff of air. |
| /ɪ/as in ship | A short, relaxed sound. Do not stretch it into “ee”. |
| /v/as in very | Upper teeth on the lower lip, with voice. Do not round the lips. |
In a sentence
Detective Columbo is always in a frayed raincoat.
More words with the /v/ sound
- xavier/ˈzeɪvjər/
- versailles/verˈsaɪ/
- vase/veɪs/
- vignette/vɪnˈjet/
- yvonne/ɪˈvɑːn/
- vague/veɪg/
- stephen/ˈstiːvən/
- vaughan/vɔːn/
- yves/iːv/
- nvidia/ˈenˈvɪdiːə/
Questions and answers
How do you pronounce detective?
Detective is pronounced /dɪˈtektɪv/ in American English.
How many syllables are in detective?
Detective has 3 syllables.
Which syllable is stressed in detective?
The second syllable: /dɪˈtektɪv/.