How to pronounce “act”
Say “act” in one beat
act
/ækt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /akt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- actækt
- IPA (American)
- /ækt/
- IPA (British)
- /akt/
- Respelling
- AKT
- Syllables
- 1 — act
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ækt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ækt/
/akt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “act” means
- noun
a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body
- noun
something that people do or cause to happen
- noun
a subdivision of a play or opera or ballet
Say it in a sentence
“The whole town came together to act after the flood.”“act”, answered
How do you pronounce “act”?
“act” is pronounced /ækt/ (AKT) in American English and /akt/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /ækt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “act” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /ækt/ — a single beat.
Is “act” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ækt/ (AKT); British English says /akt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “act” mean?
As a noun: a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body For example: “The whole town came together to act after the flood.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “act”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ækt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “act” 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.