Pronunciation

How to pronounce “attempts

“attempts” is pronounced /əˈtɛmpts/ (uh-TEMPTS) in American English and /ɐtɛmpts/ in British English, and /əˈtɛmps/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “tempts”.
The sound

Say “attempts” in 2 beats

Say it like this

attempts

/əˈtɛmpts/

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

2 beats
  1. atə
  2. temptstɛmptsstress
IPA (American)
/əˈtɛmpts/
IPA (British)
/ɐtɛmpts/
Also accepted
/əˈtɛmps/
Respelling
uh-TEMPTS
Syllables
2 — at-TEMPTS
Stress
Stress the second syllable: at-TEMPTS. “tempts” 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

/əˈtɛmpts/

British

/ɐtɛmpts/

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

Meaning

What “attempts” means

  1. noun

    earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

    made an effort to cover all the reading material

  2. noun

    the act of attacking

    attacks on women increased last year

  3. verb

    make an effort or attempt

    He tried to shake off his fears

Say it in a sentence

His first two attempts at the recipe ended in the bin.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

attempts”, answered

How do you pronounce “attempts”?

“attempts” is pronounced /əˈtɛmpts/ (uh-TEMPTS) in American English and /ɐtɛmpts/ in British English, and /əˈtɛmps/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “tempts”. Build it as at-TEMPTS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “attempts” have?

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

Is “attempts” said differently in British English?

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

What does “attempts” mean?

As a noun: earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something For example: “made an effort to cover all the reading material” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “attempts”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “attempts” 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.