How to Pronounce “segue”

American (US)

/ˈseɡweɪ/

British (UK)

/ˈseɡweɪ/

noun — A smooth transition from one topic, scene or piece of music to the next.

Example: The joke made a neat segue into the serious part of the talk.

Synonyms: transition

A loanword from Italian. Italian “segue”, “it follows”. It is said “SEG-way” — the personal transporter was named after the word, not the other way round.

Where the stress falls. “segue” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈseɡweɪ/ 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.

What does "segue" mean?

segue (noun): A smooth transition from one topic, scene or piece of music to the next. For example — The joke made a neat segue into the serious part of the talk.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "segue", /ˈseɡweɪ/, 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 "segue"?

/ˈseɡweɪ/ in American English, /ˈseɡweɪ/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "segue"?

“segue” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈseɡweɪ/ 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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