Pronunciation

How to pronounce “collapse

“collapse” is pronounced /kəˈlæps/ (kuh-LAPS) in American English and /kəlaps/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “læps”.
The sound

Say “collapse” in 2 beats

Say it like this

collapse

/kəˈlæps/

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

2 beats
  1. læpslæpsstress
IPA (American)
/kəˈlæps/
IPA (British)
/kəlaps/
Respelling
kuh-LAPS
Syllables
2 — kə-LÆPS
Stress
Stress the second syllable: kə-LÆPS. “læps” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/kəˈlæps/

British

/kəlaps/

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

Meaning

What “collapse” means

  1. noun

    an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion

    the commander's prostration demoralized his men

  2. noun

    a natural event caused by something suddenly falling down or caving in

    the roof is in danger of collapse

  3. noun

    the act of throwing yourself down

    he landed on the bed with a great flop

Say it in a sentence

The collapse of the old barn happened in a single night.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

collapse”, answered

How do you pronounce “collapse”?

“collapse” is pronounced /kəˈlæps/ (kuh-LAPS) in American English and /kəlaps/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “læps”. Build it as kə-LÆPS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “collapse” have?

2: kə · læps. The beat lands on the second, “læps”.

Is “collapse” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kəˈlæps/ (kuh-LAPS); British English says /kəlaps/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “collapse” mean?

As a noun: an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion For example: “the commander's prostration demoralized his men” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “collapse”?

Stress the second syllable: kə-LÆPS. “læps” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “collapse” 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.