How to pronounce “circumstance”
Say “circumstance” in 3 beats
circumstance
/ˈsɝkəmˌstæns/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɜːkəmstans/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- sɝsɝstress
- kəmkəm
- stænsstæns
- IPA (American)
- /ˈsɝkəmˌstæns/
- IPA (British)
- /sɜːkəmstans/
- Respelling
- SUR-kuhm-stans
- Syllables
- 3 — Sɝ-kəm-stæns
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: Sɝ-kəm-stæns. “sɝ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈsɝkəmˌstæns/
/sɜːkəmstans/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “circumstance” means
- noun
a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity
- noun
the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event
“the historical context”
- noun
information that should be kept in mind when making a decision
“another consideration is the time it would take”
Say it in a sentence
“One small circumstance changed the whole outcome of the trial.”“circumstance”, answered
How do you pronounce “circumstance”?
“circumstance” is pronounced /ˈsɝkəmˌstæns/ (SUR-kuhm-stans) in American English and /sɜːkəmstans/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “sɝ”. Build it as Sɝ-kəm-stæns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “circumstance” have?
3: sɝ · kəm · stæns. The beat lands on the first, “sɝ”.
Is “circumstance” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈsɝkəmˌstæns/ (SUR-kuhm-stans); British English says /sɜːkəmstans/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “circumstance” mean?
As a noun: a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity For example: “One small circumstance changed the whole outcome of the trial.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “circumstance”?
Stress the first syllable: Sɝ-kəm-stæns. “sɝ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “circumstance” 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.