Pronunciation

How to pronounce “assess

“assess” is pronounced /əˈsɛs/ (uh-SES) in American English and /ɐsɛs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sess”.
The sound

Say “assess” in 2 beats

Say it like this

assess

/əˈsɛs/

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

2 beats
  1. asə
  2. sesssɛsstress
IPA (American)
/əˈsɛs/
IPA (British)
/ɐsɛs/
Respelling
uh-SES
Syllables
2 — as-SESS
Stress
Stress the second syllable: as-SESS. “sess” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈsɛs/

British

/ɐsɛs/

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

Meaning

What “assess” means

  1. verb

    evaluate or estimate the nature, quality, ability, extent, or significance of

    I will have the family jewels appraised by a professional

  2. verb

    charge (a person or a property) with a payment, such as a tax or a fine

  3. verb

    set or determine the amount of (a payment such as a fine)

Say it in a sentence

The engineer came out to assess the damage to the roof.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 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

assess”, answered

How do you pronounce “assess”?

“assess” is pronounced /əˈsɛs/ (uh-SES) in American English and /ɐsɛs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sess”. Build it as as-SESS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “assess” have?

2: as · sess. The beat lands on the second, “sess”.

Is “assess” said differently in British English?

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

What does “assess” mean?

As a verb: evaluate or estimate the nature, quality, ability, extent, or significance of For example: “I will have the family jewels appraised by a professional” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “assess”?

Stress the second syllable: as-SESS. “sess” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “assess” 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.