Pronunciation

How to pronounce “antecedent

“antecedent” is pronounced /ˌænˈtɛsədənt/ (an-TE-suh-duhnt) in American English and /antɪsiːdənt/ in British English, and /ˌæntɪˈsidənt/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “tec”.
The sound

Say “antecedent” in 4 beats

Say it like this

antecedent

/ˌænˈtɛsədənt/

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

4 beats
  1. anæn
  2. tecstress
  3. ed
  4. entdənt
IPA (American)
/ˌænˈtɛsədənt/
IPA (British)
/antɪsiːdənt/
Also accepted
/ˌæntɪˈsidənt/
Respelling
an-TE-suh-duhnt
Syllables
4 — an-TEC-ed-ent
Stress
Stress the second syllable: an-TEC-ed-ent. “tec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌænˈtɛsədənt/

British

/antɪsiːdənt/

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

Meaning

What “antecedent” means

  1. noun

    someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)

  2. noun

    a preceding occurrence or cause or event

  3. noun

    anything that precedes something similar in time

    phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience

Say it in a sentence

He traced one antecedent back to a small farm in Donegal.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

antecedent”, answered

How do you pronounce “antecedent”?

“antecedent” is pronounced /ˌænˈtɛsədənt/ (an-TE-suh-duhnt) in American English and /antɪsiːdənt/ in British English, and /ˌæntɪˈsidənt/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “tec”. Build it as an-TEC-ed-ent, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “antecedent” have?

4: an · tec · ed · ent. The beat lands on the second, “tec”.

Is “antecedent” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌænˈtɛsədənt/ (an-TE-suh-duhnt); British English says /antɪsiːdənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “antecedent” mean?

As a noun: someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent) For example: “He traced one antecedent back to a small farm in Donegal.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “antecedent”?

Stress the second syllable: an-TEC-ed-ent. “tec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “antecedent” 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.