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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “citizen”

“citizen” is pronounced /ˈsɪtəzən/ (SI-tuh-zuhn) in American English and /sɪtɪzən/ in British English, and /ˈsɪtɪzən/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “cit”.
The sound

Say “citizen” in 3 beats

Say it like this

citizen

/ˈsɪtəzən/

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

3 beats
  1. citsɪstress
  2. iztə
  3. enzən
IPA (American)
/ˈsɪtəzən/
IPA (British)
/sɪtɪzən/
Also accepted
/ˈsɪtɪzən/
Respelling
SI-tuh-zuhn
Syllables
3 — CIT-iz-en
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CIT-iz-en. “cit” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɪtəzən/

British

/sɪtɪzən/

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

Meaning

What “citizen” means

  1. noun

    a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community

Say it in a sentence

“Every citizen over eighteen is entitled to vote in local elections.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ssɪshort ittəschwa×2zznn

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

Questions

“citizen”, answered

How do you pronounce “citizen”?

“citizen” is pronounced /ˈsɪtəzən/ (SI-tuh-zuhn) in American English and /sɪtɪzən/ in British English, and /ˈsɪtɪzən/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “cit”. Build it as CIT-iz-en, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “citizen” have?

3: cit · iz · en. The beat lands on the first, “cit”.

Is “citizen” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɪtəzən/ (SI-tuh-zuhn); British English says /sɪtɪzən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “citizen” mean?

As a noun: a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community For example: “Every citizen over eighteen is entitled to vote in local elections.”

Where is the stress in “citizen”?

Stress the first syllable: CIT-iz-en. “cit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “citizen” and see every sound

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