How to pronounce "sec" in English
sɛk
SEK
Primary stress: SEK
Hear native speakers say sec in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “sec”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
SEK
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
As a single-syllable word, "sec" receives full primary stress when spoken in isolation, though it may take a reduced weak form in connected speech when acting as a function word.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Single-syllable words like "sec" carry primary acoustic prominence in isolation, but can be swallowed in rapid connected speech.
How Native Speakers Say It: Sustain vowel clarity without rushing into the trailing consonant. Elevate pitch slightly when "sec" carries the primary contrast or new information in a sentence.
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "sec" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "sec is" sounds like "sec-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "sec" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Sec. William Perry: You can certainly build new reactors with much safer technology than any of the reactors certainly exist.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“SEC sued by shareholders uh no coo no CFO no CIO no VP of HR they'd all either”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Sec. And if I just step aside, we are waiting for President Zilinski to leave.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“sec, but the the basic idea again is very simple experiments.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“SEC during my years as attorney general I I was very critical of the SEC because it didn't make sense that the Attorney General of New York was bringing the”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“sec actions and legal actions so all of this leaves little doubt that it exists but there are more debates about the prevalence magnitude methods and”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “sec”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Sec. William Perry: You can certainly build new reactors with much safer technology than any of the reactors certainly exist.
Hear it in context: “sec”
3,061 clipsThe English word “sec” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as sɛk (phonetic respelling: SEK). Phonologically, it consists of 1 syllable (SEK), pronounced as a single stressed monosyllable. Grammatically, “sec” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 3,061 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “sec” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USClip #1 · @36:58
“this fuel cycle security issues and also safety issues of reactors? Sec. William Perry: You can certainly build new reactors with much safer technology than any of the reactors certainly exist. William Perry: You can certainly build new reactors with much safer technology than any”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @24:52
“six weeks of missing payroll on at that point 10,000 people investigated by the SEC sued by shareholders uh no coo no CFO no CIO no VP of HR they'd all either been fired because of the implosion or quit we couldn't track our financial”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @7:54
“strengthening our leadership in NATO even further. Sec. And if I just step aside, we are waiting for President Zilinski to leave. So that's the line of cars you can see behind me. Uh let's bring in Brett”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @6:46
“studies that we did with teams. We I'll show you the context of the teams in a sec, but the the basic idea again is very simple experiments. We get teams in some context. Some teams we give them money and say we give a person money and some context. Some teams we give them money and say we give a person money and”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @0:39
“Integrity in the marketplace now he also stands for the the abject failure of the SEC during my years as attorney general I I was very critical of the SEC because it didn't make sense that the Attorney General of New York was bringing the it didn't make sense that the Attorney General of New York was bringing the”
Definition & Meaning: “sec”
- Second, ¹⁄₆₀ of a minute.
- Clipping of second (“short indeterminate period of time”).
Example Sentences (3)
- “It is not permissible to use abbreviations for unit symbols or unit names, such as sec (for either s or second), sq. mm (for either mm² or square millimetre), cc (for either cm³ or cubic centimetre), or mps (for either m/s or metre per second).”
- “Wait a sec!”
- “Sec. William Perry: You can certainly build new reactors with much safer technology than any of the reactors certainly exist.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “sec”
- Pronunciation:
- SEK
- Syllables:
- SEK
- Written Hyphenation:
- sec
- Primary stress:
- SEK
- IPA:
- sɛk
- Hear it in context
- sec
Synonyms: “sec”
Hear words related in meaning to “sec” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “sec”
-ɛkWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"sec" (⁄sɛk⁄) 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, "sec" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about sec
How do you pronounce “sec”?
“sec” is pronounced ⁄sɛk⁄ (SEK). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
Where is the stress in “sec”?
The primary stress in “sec” is on “SEK”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “sec” mean?
Second, ¹⁄₆₀ of a minute.
How can I hear “sec” used in real sentences?
This page has 3061 real-world video examples of “sec” 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 “sec”?
Single-syllable words like "sec" carry primary acoustic prominence in isolation, but can be swallowed in rapid connected speech. Sustain vowel clarity without rushing into the trailing consonant. Elevate pitch slightly when "sec" carries the primary contrast or new information in a sentence.