Pronunciation

How to pronounce “benchmark

“benchmark” is pronounced /ˈbɛntʃˌmɑɹk/ (BENCH-mahrk) in American English and /bɛntʃmɑːk/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “benc”.
The sound

Say “benchmark” in 2 beats

Say it like this

benchmark

/ˈbɛntʃˌmɑɹk/

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

2 beats
  1. bencbɛntʃstress
  2. hmarkmɑɹk
IPA (American)
/ˈbɛntʃˌmɑɹk/
IPA (British)
/bɛntʃmɑːk/
Respelling
BENCH-mahrk
Syllables
2 — BENC-hmark
Stress
Stress the first syllable: BENC-hmark. “benc” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈbɛntʃˌmɑɹk/

British

/bɛntʃmɑːk/

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

Meaning

What “benchmark” means

  1. noun

    a standard by which something can be measured or judged

    his painting sets the benchmark of quality

  2. noun

    a surveyor's mark on a permanent object of predetermined position and elevation used as a reference point

Say it in a sentence

Last year's figures became the benchmark for everything since.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

benchmark”, answered

How do you pronounce “benchmark”?

“benchmark” is pronounced /ˈbɛntʃˌmɑɹk/ (BENCH-mahrk) in American English and /bɛntʃmɑːk/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “benc”. Build it as BENC-hmark, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “benchmark” have?

2: benc · hmark. The beat lands on the first, “benc”.

Is “benchmark” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈbɛntʃˌmɑɹk/ (BENCH-mahrk); British English says /bɛntʃmɑːk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “benchmark” mean?

As a noun: a standard by which something can be measured or judged For example: “his painting sets the benchmark of quality” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “benchmark”?

Stress the first syllable: BENC-hmark. “benc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “benchmark” 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.