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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “ambivalent”

“ambivalent” is pronounced /æmˈbɪvələnt/ (am-BI-vuh-luhnt) in American English and /ambɪvələnt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “biv”.
The sound

Say “ambivalent” in 4 beats

Say it like this

ambivalent

/æmˈbɪvələnt/

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

4 beats
  1. amæm
  2. bivbɪstress
  3. alvə
  4. entlənt
IPA (American)
/æmˈbɪvələnt/
IPA (British)
/ambɪvələnt/
Respelling
am-BI-vuh-luhnt
Syllables
4 — am-BIV-al-ent
Stress
Stress the second syllable: am-BIV-al-ent. “biv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/æmˈbɪvələnt/

British

/ambɪvələnt/

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

Meaning

What “ambivalent” means

  1. adjective

    uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow

    “was ambivalent about having children”

Say it in a sentence

“She feels ambivalent about leaving a job she has done for decades.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 sounds, in the order you say them
æshort ammbbɪshort ivvəschwa×2llnntt

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

Questions

“ambivalent”, answered

How do you pronounce “ambivalent”?

“ambivalent” is pronounced /æmˈbɪvələnt/ (am-BI-vuh-luhnt) in American English and /ambɪvələnt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “biv”. Build it as am-BIV-al-ent, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “ambivalent” have?

4: am · biv · al · ent. The beat lands on the second, “biv”.

Is “ambivalent” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /æmˈbɪvələnt/ (am-BI-vuh-luhnt); British English says /ambɪvələnt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “ambivalent” mean?

As an adjective: uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow For example: “was ambivalent about having children”

Where is the stress in “ambivalent”?

Stress the second syllable: am-BIV-al-ent. “biv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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