American English pronunciation
How to pronounce develop
“develop” comes up constantly at work, so it's worth getting right. It's 3 syllables (dih-VEL-uhp), and the trick is in the sounds below — hear it, then say it back and let our AI model show you how close you landed.
Say it & get scored
Hear develop, then record yourself and our AI model will score your pronunciation, sound by sound.
The sounds to nail
- /d/as in day
Tongue tip on the gum ridge, voiced. Between vowels in American English, often becomes a quick flap.
- /v/as in very
Upper teeth on lower lip with voicing. Don't substitute /w/.
- /l/as in love
Tongue tip at gum ridge. At the end of a syllable ('feel'), the tongue body also pulls back — the dark L.
- /ʌ/as in cup
Relaxed central vowel (sometimes a schwa /ə/ when unstressed). Don't pronounce the full vowel in unstressed syllables.
Trickier for some first languages
The sounds in “develop” are common stumbling blocks for speakers of:
Common questions
- How many syllables are in “develop”?
- “Develop” has 3 syllables: dih-VEL-uhp.
- What is the IPA for “develop”?
- The American English IPA transcription of “develop” is dɪˈvɛləp.
- How can I practice pronouncing “develop”?
- Press play to hear “develop” spoken by our AI model, then record yourself on this page to get an instant pronunciation score — your first try needs no account.
Track your progress, free.
Create a free account to save your scores, see which sounds you miss most, and get drills picked for your native language.