Skip to content

How to Pronounce “Caoimhe”

Free audio in American, British, and Australian English.

▶ Hear it pronounced
American (US)
/ˈkiːvə/
British (UK)
/ˈkiːvə/

Where the stress falls. “Caoimhe” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈkiːvə/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˈkiːvə/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

How do you pronounce "Caoimhe" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "Caoimhe", /ˈkiːvə/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "Caoimhe"?

/ˈkiːvə/ in American English, /ˈkiːvə/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "Caoimhe"?

“Caoimhe” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈkiːvə/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

Browse the full word index or use the pronunciation tool.