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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “center”

“center” is pronounced /ˈsɛntɚ/ (SEN-tuh) in American English and /sɛntə/ in British English, and /ˈsɛnɚ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “cen”.
The sound

Say “center” in 2 beats

Say it like this

center

/ˈsɛntɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. censɛnstress
  2. tertɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈsɛntɚ/
IPA (British)
/sɛntə/
Also accepted
/ˈsɛnɚ/
Respelling
SEN-tuh
Syllables
2 — CEN-ter
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CEN-ter. “cen” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɛntɚ/

British

/sɛntə/

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

Meaning

What “center” means

  1. noun

    an area that is approximately central within some larger region

    “it is in the center of town”

  2. noun

    the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher

    “he hit the ball to deep center”

  3. noun

    a building dedicated to a particular activity

    “they were raising money to build a new center for research”

Say it in a sentence

“The new shopping center opened just outside of town.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
ssɛshort ennttɚschwa

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

Questions

“center”, answered

How do you pronounce “center”?

“center” is pronounced /ˈsɛntɚ/ (SEN-tuh) in American English and /sɛntə/ in British English, and /ˈsɛnɚ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “cen”. Build it as CEN-ter, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “center” have?

2: cen · ter. The beat lands on the first, “cen”.

Is “center” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɛntɚ/ (SEN-tuh); British English says /sɛntə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “center” mean?

As a noun: an area that is approximately central within some larger region For example: “it is in the center of town” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “center”?

Stress the first syllable: CEN-ter. “cen” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “center” and see every sound

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