graffiti
noun · words or drawings painted on walls in public places
- gruhɡrə
- FEEfiː (stressed)
- teet̬i
- gruhɡrə
- FEEfiː (stressed)
- teeti
- US /ɡrəˈfiː.t̬i/gruh-FEE-tee Recorded voice
- UK /ɡrəˈfiː.ti/gruh-FEE-tee Your device’s voice
How to pronounce graffiti
Graffiti is pronounced gruh-FEE-tee, with three syllables and the stress on the second, FEE. The ff is a single f. In American English the t is often a quick d sound.
- 3 syllables
- Stress on FEE
- US and UK IPA
- Checked in Cambridge and Oxford
IPA checked in the Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. The recording is American English.
Graffiti, sound by sound
Each sound in the IPA, with a word you already know that has it.
US American English/ɡrəˈfiː.t̬i/
gruh
- /ɡ/as in get
- /r/as in red
- /ə/as in about
FEEstressed
- /f/as in fall
- /iː/as in see
tee
- /t̬/as in water (US)
- /i/as in happy
UK British English/ɡrəˈfiː.ti/
gruh
- /ɡ/as in get
- /r/as in red
- /ə/as in about
FEEstressed
- /f/as in fall
- /iː/as in see
tee
- /t/as in tea
- /i/as in happy
Say graffiti yourself
Press the microphone and say it once. Your browser writes down what it hears: if it writes graffiti, you were understood. If it writes another word, you see which sound changed.
Tip. Stress FEE: gruh-FEE-tee. The ff is one f, and the first vowel is a weak uh.
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Common graffiti pronunciation mistakes
What people often say instead, and how to fix it. Say gruh-FEE-tee.
Not
GRAF-ih-teeStressing the first syllable and using the a of cat. The stress is on FEE.
Not
gruh-FIT-eeUsing a short i. The stressed vowel is a long ee.
Not
GRAH-fee-teeSaying the first vowel as a full ah and stressing it. It is a weak uh.
Graffiti in a sentence
Hear each one, slow it down, then say it. Words change a little when they join others, so practise them in sentences too.
Someone painted graffiti on the school wall.
The city cleans graffiti off the bridge every week.
Some graffiti is real art.
How do you say graffiti?
Graffiti has three syllables, and the stress is in the middle: gruh-FEE-tee. English speakers often say GRAF-ih-tee, but both dictionaries put the stress on FEE.
The word is Italian, the plural of graffito, a scratched drawing or word, from graffiare, to scratch. English uses graffiti for the whole thing, often with a singular verb, as in the graffiti is on the wall.
The ff is a single f sound, as in coffee. In the US the t between vowels is usually soft, so it sounds like a quick d. Say gruh, then a strong FEE, then a light tee.
Words that sound like graffiti
Rhymes and words that share its tricky sound. Open any of them in the checker and say it.
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