Pronunciation

How to pronounce “accompaniment

“accompaniment” is pronounced /əˈkʌmpənimənt/ (uh-KUM-puh-nee-muhnt) in American English and /əˈkʌmpənɪmənt/ in British English, and /əˈkʌmpnimənt/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “com”.
The sound

Say “accompaniment” in 5 beats

Say it like this

accompaniment

/əˈkʌmpənimənt/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /əˈkʌmpənɪmənt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

5 beats
  1. acə
  2. comkʌmstress
  3. pan
  4. imni
  5. entmənt
IPA (American)
/əˈkʌmpənimənt/
IPA (British)
/əˈkʌmpənɪmənt/
Also accepted
/əˈkʌmpnimənt/
Respelling
uh-KUM-puh-nee-muhnt
Syllables
5 — ac-COM-pan-im-ent
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ac-COM-pan-im-ent. “com” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈkʌmpənimənt/

British

/əˈkʌmpənɪmənt/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Watch out

Where “accompaniment” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    uh-kom-PAN-ee-ment

    the stress stays on KUM, the same syllable as in accompany

Meaning

What “accompaniment” means

  1. noun

    an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another

  2. noun

    a musical part (vocal or instrumental) that supports or provides background for other musical parts

  3. noun

    something added to complete or embellish or make perfect

    a fine wine is a perfect complement to the dinner

Say it in a sentence

She played the piano accompaniment for the whole choir.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

accompaniment”, answered

How do you pronounce “accompaniment”?

“accompaniment” is pronounced /əˈkʌmpənimənt/ (uh-KUM-puh-nee-muhnt) in American English and /əˈkʌmpənɪmənt/ in British English, and /əˈkʌmpnimənt/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “com”. Build it as ac-COM-pan-im-ent, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “accompaniment” have?

5: ac · com · pan · im · ent. The beat lands on the second, “com”.

Is “accompaniment” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈkʌmpənimənt/ (uh-KUM-puh-nee-muhnt); British English says /əˈkʌmpənɪmənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “accompaniment” mean?

As a noun: an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another For example: “She played the piano accompaniment for the whole choir.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “accompaniment”?

Stress the second syllable: ac-COM-pan-im-ent. “com” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “accompaniment” 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.