How to pronounce “thereby”
Thereby is pronounced /ˈðerˈbaɪ/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — ðer. 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 ðer in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern OO — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“thereby” sound by sound
“thereby” is built out of 5 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.
-
ðSame tongue-to-teeth position as /θ/, but turn the voice on so the tongue tip vibrates against the teeth.
-
eHold the tongue mid-high and forward with the jaw slightly open and lips relaxed and unrounded.
-
rCurl the tongue tip back (or bunch the tongue body up) without touching anything, round the lips slightly, and voice — the tongue must never tap the roof of the mouth.
-
bPress both lips together and release them while the vocal folds are already vibrating, with no puff of air.
-
aɪStart with the mouth open at an /a/-like position and glide up toward /ɪ/, closing the jaw as you go.
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “thereby”
Each of these differs from “thereby” 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 “thereby”
- How do you pronounce “thereby”?
- “thereby” is pronounced /ˈðerˈbaɪ/, with the stress on the first syllable (ðer). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “thereby”?
- “thereby” has 2 syllables: ðer · baɪ. The stress pattern is OO.
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.