How to Pronounce “gigabyte”

American (US)

/ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/

British (UK)

/ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/

noun — One billion (10, or 1,000,000,000) bytes or 1,000 megabytes.

The final e is silent. The transcription /ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/ ends on a consonant sound, so the written e at the end of “gigabyte” is not pronounced.

Where the stress falls. “gigabyte” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/ 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. /ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/ 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.

What does "gigabyte" mean?

gigabyte (noun): One billion (10, or 1,000,000,000) bytes or 1,000 megabytes.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "gigabyte", /ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/, 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 "gigabyte"?

/ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/ in American English, /ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "gigabyte"?

“gigabyte” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɡɪɡəbaɪt/ 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.

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