Pronunciation

How to pronounce “benefits

“benefits” is pronounced /ˈbɛnəfɪts/ (BE-nuh-fits) in American English and /bɛnɪfɪts/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ben”.
The sound

Say “benefits” in 3 beats

Say it like this

benefits

/ˈbɛnəfɪts/

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

3 beats
  1. benstress
  2. ef
  3. itsfɪts
IPA (American)
/ˈbɛnəfɪts/
IPA (British)
/bɛnɪfɪts/
Respelling
BE-nuh-fits
Syllables
3 — BEN-ef-its
Stress
Stress the first syllable: BEN-ef-its. “ben” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall 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

/ˈbɛnəfɪts/

British

/bɛnɪfɪts/

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

Meaning

What “benefits” means

  1. noun

    financial assistance in time of need

  2. noun

    something that aids or promotes well-being

    for the benefit of all

  3. noun

    a performance to raise money for a charitable cause

Say it in a sentence

The benefits include a pension and four weeks of leave.
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

benefits”, answered

How do you pronounce “benefits”?

“benefits” is pronounced /ˈbɛnəfɪts/ (BE-nuh-fits) in American English and /bɛnɪfɪts/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ben”. Build it as BEN-ef-its, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “benefits” have?

3: ben · ef · its. The beat lands on the first, “ben”.

Is “benefits” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈbɛnəfɪts/ (BE-nuh-fits); British English says /bɛnɪfɪts/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “benefits” mean?

As a noun: financial assistance in time of need For example: “The benefits include a pension and four weeks of leave.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “benefits”?

Stress the first syllable: BEN-ef-its. “ben” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “benefits” 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.