How to pronounce “basement”
Say “basement” in 2 beats
basement
/ˈbeɪsmənt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /beɪsmənt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- beɪbeɪstress
- sməntsmənt
- IPA (American)
- /ˈbeɪsmənt/
- IPA (British)
- /beɪsmənt/
- Respelling
- BAY-smuhnt
- Syllables
- 2 — BEꞮ-smənt
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: BEꞮ-smənt. “beɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈbeɪsmənt/
/beɪsmənt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “basement” means
- noun
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
- noun
the ground floor facade or interior in Renaissance architecture
Say it in a sentence
“The basement floods whenever the river rises above the wall.”“basement”, answered
How do you pronounce “basement”?
“basement” is pronounced /ˈbeɪsmənt/ (BAY-smuhnt) in American English and /beɪsmənt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “beɪ”. Build it as BEꞮ-smənt, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “basement” have?
2: beɪ · smənt. The beat lands on the first, “beɪ”.
Is “basement” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈbeɪsmənt/ (BAY-smuhnt); British English says /beɪsmənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “basement” mean?
As a noun: the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage For example: “The basement floods whenever the river rises above the wall.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “basement”?
Stress the first syllable: BEꞮ-smənt. “beɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “basement” 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.