How to pronounce “obey”
Obey is pronounced /oʊˈbeɪ/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — beɪ. Below: the syllable split, native audio in both accents, the mistake people actually make with this word, and every individual sound in it explained.
Syllables and stress
Split it into 2 beats. The highlighted syllable is the strong one: say it louder, longer and a touch higher in pitch, and let the others fall away. English is a stress-timed language, so getting beɪ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern oO — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “obey”
✗ Often said: /ˈɑːbeiː/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /oʊˈbeɪ/
Why the two come apart: the stress lands on the second syllable (“beɪ”), not on the first one — putting the beat at the front is the mistake almost everyone makes; also, at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “obey” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“obey” sound by sound
“obey” is built out of 3 sounds. Say each one on its own first, slowly, then run them together at speed. Every sound links to a full guide with mouth position, the mistake learners make with it, and other words that use it.
-
oʊStart with mid-back, lightly rounded lips and glide toward /ʊ/, tightening the rounding as you finish.
-
bPress both lips together and release them while the vocal folds are already vibrating, with no puff of air.
-
eɪStart at the /e/ position and glide upward and forward toward /ɪ/ — the jaw closes as you say it.
Words that rhyme with “obey”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “obey”
Each of these differs from “obey” by exactly one sound. If you can say both of a pair and hear the difference, that sound is under control:
Questions people ask about “obey”
- How do you pronounce “obey”?
- “obey” is pronounced /oʊˈbeɪ/, with the stress on the second syllable (beɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “obey”?
- “obey” has 2 syllables: oʊ · beɪ. The stress pattern is oO.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “obey”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈɑːbeiː/, but it is actually /oʊˈbeɪ/, because the stress lands on the second syllable (“beɪ”), not on the first one — putting the beat at the front is the mistake almost everyone makes.
Stop looking words up one at a time
You just looked up one word. PHONO puts the IPA above every word of whatever you are reading — in your browser, in a PDF, in any app — the moment you select it. An offline pronunciation dictionary, US and UK audio, one hotkey.