2 syllables: de, vice. Stress on vice.
/dɪˈvaɪs/
Say it backDevice refers to a tool or instrument designed for a particular function. It can also describe the action of planning or arranging through a scheme. In everyday usage, it often denotes gadgets, machinery, or a mechanism for achieving a task. The term spans both tangible objects and abstract schemes, frequently appearing in technical, medical, and consumer contexts.
"The new medical device must be tested before it’s approved for use."
"She tucked the device into her notebook and continued the presentation."
"Security devices like cameras deter crime in the area."
You pronounce it as dɪˈvaɪs with the stress on the second syllable. The first syllable is a short /dɪ/ and the second syllable features the long diphthong /aɪ/ as in ‘high,’ followed by /s/. The final sound is a precise /s/ rather than /z/, so it ends with a voiceless s. Lip position is relaxed, with the /d/ produced by the tongue on the alveolar ridge, then glide into /ɪ/ and the /ˈvaɪ/ cluster before the /s/. Audio reference: [listen for dɪˈvaɪs in standard dictionaries].
Common errors: (1) Pronouncing it as de-vyse with a long /iː/ or /i/ instead of /ˈaɪ/ in the second syllable; (2) softening the final /s/ into a voiced /z/; (3) misplacing the /v/ and /d/, producing a /v/ preceded by a fricative end. Correction: keep the second syllable as /aɪ/ with a clear, unvoiced /s/ at the end; start with /d/ at the alveolar ridge, then glide into /ɪ/ and the /ˈvaɪ/ sequence, ensuring the /s/ remains voiceless. Practice with minimal pairs to reinforce the /dɪ/ onset and /vaɪs/ nucleus.
In US, /ɪˈvæɪs/ is wrong; correct US is /dɪˈvaɪs/ with a rhotic consonant leading into /v/ and /ɪ/ in the first syllable; UK generally mirrors US on the main vowels, but some speakers may reduce the /ə/ in connected speech; AU often features a slightly broader vowel quality in /ɪ/ and a crisper /s/—still /dɪˈvaɪs/. Overall, the second syllable’s /aɪ/ remains consistent, with the main variation being vowel quality and speech tempo.
The challenge lies in the /ɪ/ plus /ˈvaɪ/ sequence and ending with a voiceless /s/ after a voiced onset cluster. Your mouth transitions from the alveolar /d/ to the front-high /ɪ/ and then to the diphthong /aɪ/, which demands precise tongue height and lip rounding. The final /s/ should be distinctly unvoiced to avoid sounding like /z/. Mastery comes from practicing the /d/ + /ɪ/ + /vaɪ/ flow and maintaining voiceless final.
One distinctive feature is the clear separation between the initial plosive /d/ and the following /ɪ/; you should avoid a quick, almost /dj/ blend. Ensure the second syllable carries the strong stress and the /aɪ/ is a prominent diphthong; the /s/ at the end is a clean, crisp sibilant. This makes the word feel brisk and precise, particularly in careful speech or technical contexts.
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Device comes from the Old French devise, meaning a plan, design, or contrivance, from Latin divisus ‘divided, separated’ or devisus ‘a plan’ (from dividere ‘to divide’). By the 14th century, English borrowed devise to mean a plan or contrivance, often with legal or architectural sense. The sense broadened to include any instrument or contrivance, particularly mechanical or electronic, by the 17th–18th centuries, with “device” used for both a planned scheme and a gadget. The modern sense as a functional gadget or instrument arrived in the 19th century alongside the rise of industrial technology. The core idea retained: an object or plan that achieves a particular function. First known use in English literature attested in the 14th century as “devyse” referring to a plan or contrivance, gradually shifting toward the meaning connected with tools and instruments as technology evolved. Today, it coexists with broader uses in computing, electronics, and everyday language, often paired with descriptors like “medical device” or “electronic device.”
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Words that rhyme with "device"
-ice sounds
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