How to pronounce spite in American English

IPA /spaɪt/ Syllables 1 · spahyt Stress 1st syllable

SPAHYT

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Americans pronounce spite as SPAHYT (/spaɪt/). It's 4 sounds in 1 syllable. The vowel glides through two positions, not one fixed shape — keep both halves audible.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "spite".

1 syllable, 4 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

s/s/

Place your tongue tip near the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth. Push air through the narrow gap. No voicing.

p/p/

Press your lips together to stop the air, then release. No vocal cord vibration.

ahy/aɪ/

Start with your jaw open wide and your tongue resting low and flat. Glide the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth as your jaw closes halfway.

t/t/

Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. Keep your jaw relaxed. Stop the air, then release with a puff.

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Questions

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Is the American pronunciation of "spite" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "SPAHYT" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.