Pronunciation

How to pronounce “cent

“cent” is pronounced /sɛnt/ (SENT) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “cent” in one beat

Say it like this

cent

/sɛnt/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. centsɛnt
IPA (American)
/sɛnt/
IPA (British)
/sɛnt/
Respelling
SENT
Syllables
1 — cent
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɛnt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “cent” means

  1. noun

    a fractional monetary unit of several countries

  2. noun

    a coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit

Say it in a sentence

Prices rose about one cent for every gallon of milk.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

cent”, answered

How do you pronounce “cent”?

“cent” is pronounced /sɛnt/ (SENT) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /sɛnt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “cent” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /sɛnt/ — a single beat.

What does “cent” mean?

As a noun: a fractional monetary unit of several countries For example: “Prices rose about one cent for every gallon of milk.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “cent”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɛnt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “cent” 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.