Pronunciation

How to pronounce “compare

“compare” is pronounced /kəmˈpɛɹ/ (kuhm-PER) in American English and /kəmpeə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɛɹ”.
The sound

Say “compare” in 2 beats

Say it like this

compare

/kəmˈpɛɹ/

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

2 beats
  1. kəmkəm
  2. pɛɹpɛɹstress
IPA (American)
/kəmˈpɛɹ/
IPA (British)
/kəmpeə/
Respelling
kuhm-PER
Syllables
2 — kəm-PƐɹ
Stress
Stress the second syllable: kəm-PƐɹ. “pɛɹ” 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

/kəmˈpɛɹ/

British

/kəmpeə/

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

Meaning

What “compare” means

  1. noun

    qualities that are comparable

    no comparison between the two books

  2. verb

    examine and note the similarities or differences of

    John compared his haircut to his friend's

  3. verb

    be comparable

    This car does not compare with our line of Mercedes

Say it in a sentence

Compare the two drafts and the improvement is obvious.
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

compare”, answered

How do you pronounce “compare”?

“compare” is pronounced /kəmˈpɛɹ/ (kuhm-PER) in American English and /kəmpeə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɛɹ”. Build it as kəm-PƐɹ, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “compare” have?

2: kəm · pɛɹ. The beat lands on the second, “pɛɹ”.

Is “compare” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kəmˈpɛɹ/ (kuhm-PER); British English says /kəmpeə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “compare” mean?

As a noun: qualities that are comparable For example: “no comparison between the two books” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “compare”?

Stress the second syllable: kəm-PƐɹ. “pɛɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “compare” 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.