Pronunciation

How to pronounce “attack

“attack” is pronounced /əˈtæk/ (uh-TAK) in American English and /ɐtak/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tack”.
The sound

Say “attack” in 2 beats

Say it like this

attack

/əˈtæk/

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

2 beats
  1. atə
  2. tacktækstress
IPA (American)
/əˈtæk/
IPA (British)
/ɐtak/
Respelling
uh-TAK
Syllables
2 — at-TACK
Stress
Stress the second syllable: at-TACK. “tack” 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

/əˈtæk/

British

/ɐtak/

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

Meaning

What “attack” means

  1. noun

    (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)

    the attack began at dawn

  2. noun

    an offensive move in a sport or game

    they won the game with a 10-hit attack in the 9th inning

  3. noun

    intense adverse criticism

    Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party

Say it in a sentence

Her grandfather suffered a mild heart attack last winter.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

attack”, answered

How do you pronounce “attack”?

“attack” is pronounced /əˈtæk/ (uh-TAK) in American English and /ɐtak/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tack”. Build it as at-TACK, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “attack” have?

2: at · tack. The beat lands on the second, “tack”.

Is “attack” said differently in British English?

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

What does “attack” mean?

As a noun: (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons) For example: “the attack began at dawn” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “attack”?

Stress the second syllable: at-TACK. “tack” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “attack” 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.