How to pronounce “absence”
Say “absence” in 2 beats
absence
/ˈæbsəns/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /absəns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- æbæbstress
- sənssəns
- IPA (American)
- /ˈæbsəns/
- IPA (British)
- /absəns/
- Respelling
- AB-suhns
- Syllables
- 2 — ÆB-səns
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: ÆB-səns. “æb” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈæbsəns/
/absəns/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “absence” means
- noun
the state of being absent
“he was surprised by the absence of any explanation”
- noun
failure to be present
- noun
the time interval during which something or somebody is away
“he visited during my absence”
Say it in a sentence
“Her absence was noticed immediately by the whole class.”“absence”, answered
How do you pronounce “absence”?
“absence” is pronounced /ˈæbsəns/ (AB-suhns) in American English and /absəns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “æb”. Build it as ÆB-səns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “absence” have?
2: æb · səns. The beat lands on the first, “æb”.
Is “absence” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈæbsəns/ (AB-suhns); British English says /absəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “absence” mean?
As a noun: the state of being absent For example: “he was surprised by the absence of any explanation” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “absence”?
Stress the first syllable: ÆB-səns. “æb” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “absence” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.