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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “captain”

“captain” is pronounced /ˈkæptən/ (KAP-tuhn) in American English and /kaptɪn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cap”.
The sound

Say “captain” in 2 beats

Say it like this

captain

/ˈkæptən/

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

2 beats
  1. capkæpstress
  2. taintən
IPA (American)
/ˈkæptən/
IPA (British)
/kaptɪn/
Respelling
KAP-tuhn
Syllables
2 — CAP-tain
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CAP-tain. “cap” 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

/ˈkæptən/

British

/kaptɪn/

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

Meaning

What “captain” means

  1. noun

    an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

  2. noun

    the naval officer in command of a military ship

  3. noun

    a policeman in charge of a precinct

Say it in a sentence

“The captain steered the small boat carefully into the harbor.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
kkæshort appttəschwann

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“captain”, answered

How do you pronounce “captain”?

“captain” is pronounced /ˈkæptən/ (KAP-tuhn) in American English and /kaptɪn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cap”. Build it as CAP-tain, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “captain” have?

2: cap · tain. The beat lands on the first, “cap”.

Is “captain” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkæptən/ (KAP-tuhn); British English says /kaptɪn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “captain” mean?

As a noun: an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant For example: “The captain steered the small boat carefully into the harbor.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “captain”?

Stress the first syllable: CAP-tain. “cap” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “captain” and see every sound

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