How to Pronounce Vicious

To pronounce "vicious", say VIC-ious — 2 syllables, IPA /ˈvɪʃəs/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.

vicious

Tap to hear · American accent

Accent

If an accent sounds the same, your device is missing that voice — it falls back to the closest one.

Speed

Syllable by syllable — tap each one

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying vicious, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

2

Syllables

7

Letters

/ˈvɪʃəs/

🇺🇸 IPA (US)

/vˈɪʃəs/

🇬🇧 IPA (UK)

💡 Tip for remembering “vicious”

Break "vicious" into 2 beats and lean on "VIC" — that's the stressed one. It rhymes with capricious and pernicious, if that helps it stick.

What does vicious mean?

adjective

  1. Violent, destructive and cruel.
  2. Savage and aggressive.

Synonyms

scathy

Hear “vicious” in real sentences

Real example sentences from Tatoeba (CC-BY) — tap to hear each one, or see it used on YouGlish.

Words that rhyme with vicious

Practicing rhymes trains the same ending sounds.

capriciouspernicioussurreptitiousauspiciouspropitiousjudiciousmaliciousambitiousexpeditiousfictitioussuspiciousfactitious

Related words

brutalbarbarouswickeddepravedmalevolentmaliciousevilsavage

Frequently asked questions

How many syllables are in "vicious"?▾

"Vicious" has 2 syllables: vic · ious.

What is the IPA transcription of "vicious"?▾

The IPA transcription of "vicious" is /ˈvɪʃəs/.

What does "vicious" mean?▾

Vicious: Violent, destructive and cruel.

Want the definition, translations into 8 languages, and read-aloud for full sentences?

Open “vicious” in the full dictionary →