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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “agency”

“agency” is pronounced /ˈeɪdʒənsi/ (AY-juhn-see) in American English and /eɪdʒənsi/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ag”.
The sound

Say “agency” in 3 beats

Say it like this

agency

/ˈeɪdʒənsi/

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

3 beats
  1. ageɪstress
  2. endʒən
  3. cysi
IPA (American)
/ˈeɪdʒənsi/
IPA (British)
/eɪdʒənsi/
Respelling
AY-juhn-see
Syllables
3 — AG-en-cy
Stress
Stress the first syllable: AG-en-cy. “ag” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈeɪdʒənsi/

British

/eɪdʒənsi/

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

Meaning

What “agency” means

  1. noun

    an administrative unit of government

    “the Central Intelligence Agency”

  2. noun

    a business that serves other businesses

  3. noun

    the state of being in action or exerting power

    “the agency of providence”

Say it in a sentence

“The travel agency booked their whole trip to the coast.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
eɪlong adʒjəschwannssilong e

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

Questions

“agency”, answered

How do you pronounce “agency”?

“agency” is pronounced /ˈeɪdʒənsi/ (AY-juhn-see) in American English and /eɪdʒənsi/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ag”. Build it as AG-en-cy, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “agency” have?

3: ag · en · cy. The beat lands on the first, “ag”.

Is “agency” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈeɪdʒənsi/ (AY-juhn-see); British English says /eɪdʒənsi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “agency” mean?

As a noun: an administrative unit of government For example: “the Central Intelligence Agency” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “agency”?

Stress the first syllable: AG-en-cy. “ag” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “agency” and see every sound

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