One syllable: Grime.
greyem
/ɡɹaɪm/
Grime is pronounced greyem (/ɡɹaɪm/). It has one syllable (Grime), with the stress on "Grime". Grime is a noun referring to dirt or filth, especially in a dirty or neglected state. It can also denote a genre of music characterized by aggressive rhythm and production. In everyday use, it often describes a layer of soil or grime buildup on surfaces, typically a nuisance to clean.
nounGrime is a noun referring to dirt or filth, especially in a dirty or neglected state. It can also denote a genre of music characterized by aggressive rhythm and production. In everyday use, it often describes a layer of soil or grime buildup on surfaces, typically a nuisance to clean.
- You may mispronounce the diphthong /aɪ/ as a pure /a/ or /iː/. Fix: practice with the tip of your tongue high behind the teeth for /aɪ/ and allow the jaw to drop slightly, then glide to /ɪ/ as in kit before closing. - Some speakers blur the final /m/ into an /n/ or omit it in fast talk. Fix: press lips together to close for /m/ with a voiced bilabial closure. - The initial /ɡ/ can be skipped in casual whispery speech. Fix: fully release the /ɡ/ with a crisp onset, then proceed to /ɹ/ or /raɪm/.
"The grime on the windows made the view murky."
"Urban grime often accumulates in alleys after rain."
"She had to scrub away years of grime from the bathtub."
Grime is pronounced /ɡraɪm/, rhyming with time and climb. The initial g is hard, the vowel is a diphthong /aɪ/ as in bite, and the final /m/ is a full bilabial nasal. Keep your mouth open slightly for /aɪ/ and finish with a clean /m/. For reference, headphones-friendly guidance: /ɡraɪm/ with primary stress on the only syllable. Listen to a native speaker: see Pronounce or Forvo entries for real-time audio samples.
Common errors include pronouncing the vowel as a pure /i/ (grime as /ɡriːm/) or slurring the /ɡ/ into a /d/ or /ɬ/ sound. Also, some say /ɡraɪm/ with reduced lip tension, producing a muffled /ʌɪ/. Correct by: keeping lips relaxed but rounded enough for /aɪ/, ensuring a crisp voicing at the start with /ɡ/, and finishing with a clear /m/ without nasal leakage. Practice with minimal pairs like grim /ɡrɪm/ vs grime /ɡraɪm/ to hear the difference.
In US English, /ɡraɪm/ maintains the same diphthong, with rhotic-adjacent clarity on the /r/less syllable cluster. UK and Australian accents keep /ɡraɪm/ similarly, but vowel quality may shift slightly: Australian English may show a flatter /aɪ/ and more open mouth posture during /ɪ/ onset in rapid speech. All share final /m/ closure, but UK speakers may have crisper articulation due to British enunciation habits. The rhotic difference is minimal here since /r/ is not pronounced after the vowel.
The difficulty lies in the short, high-energy diphthong /aɪ/ within a single syllable and the need for precise bilabial /m/ closure without nasal leakage. Some learners blur the diphthong into a monophthong, resulting in /ɪ/ or /iː/. Others struggle with the initial /ɡ/ release when followed by a nasal, producing a blended or aspirated onset. Focused practice on the /ɡ/ + /r/ onset, the /aɪ/ glide, and a clean final /m/ will address most issues.
Does 'grime' ever reduce the /ɡ/ onset in rapid speech or in connected speech? Generally, the /ɡ/ remains pronounced in Standard English even in casual connected speech. In some ultra-fast UK speech, the onset can be lightly released, sounding almost like /ɹaɪm/ or a lightly aspirated /ɡ/ without full closure, but this is nonstandard. For clarity, keep a full /ɡ/ release before the /r/ influence, if any, and avoid devoicing the final /m/.
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US: rhotic-less after the vowel, the /r/ is not pronounced here; keep /ɹ/ out of the onset for a clean /ɡraɪm/. UK: crisp, enforced /ɡ/ release; British English tends to higher precision with /ɪ/ vs /aɪ/; AU: slightly flatter /aɪ/ and more relaxed jaw; ensure final /m/ is nasalized but closed. IPA: US/UK/AU share /ɡraɪm/ but vowel quality differs in tenseness and duration.
Grime originates from Middle English grimy, itself derived from Old English grimian meaning to make dirty, with related forms in Old Norse and Germanic languages describing dirt or matter that soils. The core root conveys the concept of dirt or filth, with early uses in English tied to physical grime on objects or surfaces. By the 16th–17th centuries, grime had stabilized as a noun describing accumulated dirt, and over time the word broadened into metaphoric uses (grime as a coating on objects, grime as street-level culture in music). The modern musical sense emerged in the late 1990s in the United Kingdom, where “grime” described a raw, hybrid rap-influenced genre. The term has since become globally recognized, often linked to urban life, grime on surfaces, and the music scene that champions gritty, high-energy production.
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Help others use "Grime" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "Grime" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Grime" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Grime"
-ime sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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