Pronunciation

How to pronounce “approach

“approach” is pronounced /əˈpɹoʊtʃ/ (uh-PROHCH) in American English and /ɐpɹəʊtʃ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “roach”.
The sound

Say “approach” in 2 beats

Say it like this

approach

/əˈpɹoʊtʃ/

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

2 beats
  1. appə
  2. roachpɹoʊtʃstress
IPA (American)
/əˈpɹoʊtʃ/
IPA (British)
/ɐpɹəʊtʃ/
Respelling
uh-PROHCH
Syllables
2 — app-ROACH
Stress
Stress the second syllable: app-ROACH. “roach” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈpɹoʊtʃ/

British

/ɐpɹəʊtʃ/

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

Meaning

What “approach” means

  1. noun

    ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation

    his approach to every problem is to draw up a list of pros and cons

  2. noun

    the act of drawing spatially closer to something

    the hunter's approach scattered the geese

  3. noun

    a way of entering or leaving

    he took a wrong turn on the access to the bridge

Say it in a sentence

A gentler approach worked far better with that class.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

approach”, answered

How do you pronounce “approach”?

“approach” is pronounced /əˈpɹoʊtʃ/ (uh-PROHCH) in American English and /ɐpɹəʊtʃ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “roach”. Build it as app-ROACH, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “approach” have?

2: app · roach. The beat lands on the second, “roach”.

Is “approach” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈpɹoʊtʃ/ (uh-PROHCH); British English says /ɐpɹəʊtʃ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “approach” mean?

As a noun: ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation For example: “his approach to every problem is to draw up a list of pros and cons” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “approach”?

Stress the second syllable: app-ROACH. “roach” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “approach” 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.