2 syllables: grea, sy. Stress on grea.
GREE-see
/ˈɡɹisi/
greasy is pronounced GREE-see (/ˈɡɹisi/). It has two syllables (grea-sy), with the stress on "grea". Greasy describes a slick, oily, or fatty surface or substance, often giving a slippery, slick feeling. It can refer to food that is oily, or to a texture that feels slick on the skin or hands. The term can also convey a sense of slick, sly behavior in informal contexts.
Greasy describes a slick, oily, or fatty surface or substance, often giving a slippery, slick feeling. It can refer to food that is oily, or to a texture that feels slick on the skin or hands. The term can also convey a sense of slick, sly behavior in informal contexts.
- Mispronounce the long vowel as a short /ɪ/ in the first syllable: GRE-zee instead of GREE-zee. To fix, hold the /iː/ longer and avoid reducing it. - Silencing or softening the /r/ after /ɡr/: keep a light but present /r/ to preserve rhotic quality. - Weak final vowel: make the final /i/ brief but audible; don’t drop it entirely or turn it into an /ɪ/ without intention. - Overly strong final 'y' as /iː/: keep it as a short, quick /i/ after /z/, so the word remains two syllables. Practice with focused drills and mouth positioning.
"The pan was greasy after cooking, so I had to scrub it twice."
"That sandwich was a bit greasy for my taste, with too much oil."
"The chef warned not to touch the greasy grill without mitts."
Pronounce as /ˈɡriː.zi/. Start with a hard G, then the long EE sound /iː/, then a clear /z/ followed by a short, unstressed /i/ in -y. Stress is on the first syllable: GRE-zy. Mouth position: raise the back of the tongue for /ɡr/ cluster, lips spread slightly for /iː/, and bring the tongue to the alveolar ridge for /z/. You’ll sound natural by making the final /i/ light and quick: GREE-zee.
Common errors include mispronouncing the long /iː/ as a short /ɪ/ (GRE-zee instead of GREE-zee) and misarticulating the final /i/ as an audible vowel like /iː/ in some dialects. Another pitfall is turning the /r/ into a weak or non-rhotic sound after /ɡr/; keep a flush rhotic release so it sounds like /ˈɡriː.zi/. Practice with careful attention to duration of /iː/ and a crisp /z/ followed by a light /i/.
In US and UK accents, GREASY uses rhotic r quickly after /ɡr/ and a long /iː/ before /z/. In non-rhotic UK accents, the /r/ is silent, but the /ɡr/ cluster still appears in careful speech with a smoother vowel transition; the /z/ remains voiced. Australian English is rhotic like US, but may show a slightly narrower /iː/ and a shorter final vowel due to Australian vowel quality; overall the rhythm remains trochaic with a strong initial stress.
Greasy combines a challenging consonant cluster /ɡr/ with a long vowel /iː/ followed by a voiced alveolar /z/ and a short /i/. The transition from vowel to the /z/ can cause whitening of the jaw and tongue; many learners drop the /r/ or blur the /iː/ length. Focusing on a clean /ɡr/ onset, ensuring the /iː/ is held, and enunciating the /z/ before a light /i/ helps clarity and natural flow.
Greasy follows a strong-weak pattern GREA-sy, with first syllable stressed. The -sy ending is not a separate syllable with a heavy vowel; it’s a quick schwa-like or light /i/ depending on speaker. In careful speech, you maintain two clear syllables: /ˈɡriː/ and /zi/. The diphthongization or length of /iː/ can slightly vary with speaker, but the rhythm remains two strong segments.
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- US: rhotic; keep /ɹ/ fully released after /ɡr/ and prolong /iː/ slightly. - UK: often less rhotic; ensure /ɡr/ is audible though the /r/ may be less pronounced; keep /iː/ length but reduce rounding. - AU: rhotic; vowel qualities similar to US but may be a touch more centralized; maintain the same two-syllable rhythm and a crisp /z/.
Greasy comes from the noun grease, from Old English græs (grs?) or from Proto-Germanic *grasa- meaning fat, oil, or grease. The sense of something covered in grease or oil developed in Middle English as a direct adoption of the material grease; by the 15th century, greasy described things that were greasy in texture or appearance. The word broadened to metaphorically describe people or behaviors that are slick or untrustworthy, as in a “greasy salesman.” The semantic field expanded to include both tactile texture (slimy, oily) and figurative meanings (dishonest, sly), with the adjective form appearing in early modern English usage and becoming common in everyday American and British English. First known uses appear in culinary and mechanical contexts, later permeating social descriptions. Today, greasy maintains its core oiliness sense while also signaling negative connotations about character or propriety in informal speech.
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Words that rhyme with "greasy"
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