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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “coherent”

“coherent” is pronounced /koʊˈhɪɹənt/ (koh-HI-ruhnt) in American English and /kəʊhiəɹənt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “er”.
The sound

Say “coherent” in 3 beats

Say it like this

coherent

/koʊˈhɪɹənt/

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

3 beats
  1. cohkoʊ
  2. erhɪstress
  3. entɹənt
IPA (American)
/koʊˈhɪɹənt/
IPA (British)
/kəʊhiəɹənt/
Respelling
koh-HI-ruhnt
Syllables
3 — coh-ER-ent
Stress
Stress the second syllable: coh-ER-ent. “er” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/koʊˈhɪɹənt/

British

/kəʊhiəɹənt/

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

Meaning

What “coherent” means

  1. adjective

    marked by an orderly, logical, and aesthetically consistent relation of parts

    “a coherent argument”

  2. adjective

    capable of thinking and expressing yourself in a clear and consistent manner

    “a lucid thinker”

  3. adjective

    (physics) of waves having a constant phase relation

Say it in a sentence

“His notes were barely coherent after such a long day.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
kkoʊlong ohhɪshort iɹrəschwanntt

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

Questions

“coherent”, answered

How do you pronounce “coherent”?

“coherent” is pronounced /koʊˈhɪɹənt/ (koh-HI-ruhnt) in American English and /kəʊhiəɹənt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “er”. Build it as coh-ER-ent, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “coherent” have?

3: coh · er · ent. The beat lands on the second, “er”.

Is “coherent” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /koʊˈhɪɹənt/ (koh-HI-ruhnt); British English says /kəʊhiəɹənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “coherent” mean?

As an adjective: marked by an orderly, logical, and aesthetically consistent relation of parts For example: “a coherent argument” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “coherent”?

Stress the second syllable: coh-ER-ent. “er” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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