How do you pronounce "adhesive"?

In American English: /ædˈhiːsɪv/ (ad-HEES-iv). In British English: /ədhˈiːsɪv/ (uhdh-EES-iv). In Canadian English: /ædˈhiːsɪv/ (ad-HEES-iv). In Australian English: /ɐdhˈiːsɪv/ (ⱯDH-ees).

Is "adhesive" pronounced differently in American and British English?

Yes. In American English it's pronounced /ædˈhiːsɪv/ (ad-HEES-iv), while in British English it's /ədhˈiːsɪv/ (uhdh-EES-iv).

🗣️pronounce.how

adhesive

regional

/ædˈhiːsɪv/

ad-HEES-iv

Syllable Breakdown

ædad·hiːshe·ɪvsive

Source

90%confidence📘 CMU Pronouncing Dictionary v0.7b

All Variants

Edit on GitHub 🐛 Report an issue

Last updated: 2026-02-12