How to pronounce "detain" in English
dɪˈteɪn
dih·TAYN
Primary stress: TAYN
Hear native speakers say detain in context across real video clips
words he started this youth against regular migration him and the other detain went around C down we're knocking people's doors and saying guys this irregular migration thing don't do it look at us see what happened to us look irregular migration thing don't do it look at us see what happened to us look
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “detain”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
dih
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
TAYN
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("TAYN"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America.
How Native Speakers Say It: In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "detain" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "detain is" sounds like "detain-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "detain" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“detain went around C down we're knocking people's doors and saying guys this irregular migration thing don't do it look at us see what happened to us look”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“help detain the new facility also provides an opportunity for Coalition and Afghan Partners to work together to make Afghanistan more secure this is”— WIREDWatch clip
“detain are not criminals.”— NPRWatch clip
“detain people and is it is you is human right violation we are very concerned”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“can detain people and for nine days without allowing him or her to see his”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“detain so many people even people making very small protests are being taken away”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “detain”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
detain went around C down we're knocking people's doors and saying guys this irregular migration thing don't do it look at us see what happened to us look
Hear it in context: “detain”
325 clipsThe English word “detain” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as dɪˈteɪn (phonetic respelling: dih-TAYN). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (dih · TAYN), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (TAYN). Grammatically, “detain” functions as a verb. SayItVid indexes 325 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “detain” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks, WIRED, NPR.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @5:28
“words he started this youth against regular migration him and the other detain went around C down we're knocking people's doors and saying guys this irregular migration thing don't do it look at us see what happened to us look irregular migration thing don't do it look at us see what happened to us look”
- 🇺🇸 USWIREDClip #2 · @1:01
“medical treatment area and many more vocational technical areas that we can help detain the new facility also provides an opportunity for Coalition and Afghan Partners to work together to make Afghanistan more secure this is and Afghan Partners to work together to make Afghanistan more secure this is”
- 🇺🇸 USNPRClip #3 · @4:10
“vast majority of the people that they detain are not criminals. They're actually just people who live here in Illinois. They may have partially actually just people who live here in”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @2:41
“overstepping we've protested what we see is that the police come and beat and detain people and is it is you is human right violation we are very concerned with with that and the concerns don't stop there”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @19:07
“emergency of course contributes to this confusion a lot M because you can detain people and for nine days without allowing him or her to see his lawyer or her lawyer I think you made an interesting point uh we are listening”
Definition & Meaning: “detain”
- To keep something from proceeding or coming to completion; to delay.
- To keep someone from proceeding by holding them back or making claims on their attention.
Example Sentences (2)
- “detain went around C down we're knocking people's doors and saying guys this irregular migration thing don't do it look at us see what happened to us look”
- “help detain the new facility also provides an opportunity for Coalition and Afghan Partners to work together to make Afghanistan more secure this is”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “detain”
- Pronunciation:
- dih-TAYN
- Syllables:
- dih · TAYN
- Written Hyphenation:
- de · tain
- Primary stress:
- TAYN
- IPA:
- dɪˈteɪn
- Hear it in context
- detain
Synonyms: “detain”
Hear words related in meaning to “detain” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “detain”
-eɪnWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"detain" (⁄dɪˈteɪn⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "detain" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about detain
How do you pronounce “detain”?
“detain” is pronounced ⁄dɪˈteɪn⁄ (dih-TAYN). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “detain”?
“detain” has 2 syllables: dih · TAYN.
Where is the stress in “detain”?
The primary stress in “detain” is on “TAYN”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “detain” mean?
To keep something from proceeding or coming to completion; to delay.
How can I hear “detain” used in real sentences?
This page has 325 real-world video examples of “detain” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “detain”?
Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America. In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].