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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “comparison”

“comparison” is pronounced /kəmˈpɛɹəsən/ (kuhm-PE-ruh-suhn) in American English and /kəmpaɹɪsən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “par”.
The sound

Say “comparison” in 4 beats

Say it like this

comparison

/kəmˈpɛɹəsən/

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

4 beats
  1. comkəm
  2. parpɛstress
  3. isɹə
  4. onsən
IPA (American)
/kəmˈpɛɹəsən/
IPA (British)
/kəmpaɹɪsən/
Respelling
kuhm-PE-ruh-suhn
Syllables
4 — com-PAR-is-on
Stress
Stress the second syllable: com-PAR-is-on. “par” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/kəmˈpɛɹəsən/

British

/kəmpaɹɪsən/

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

Meaning

What “comparison” means

  1. noun

    the act of examining resemblances

    “they made a comparison of noise levels”

  2. noun

    relation based on similarities and differences

  3. noun

    qualities that are comparable

    “no comparison between the two books”

Say it in a sentence

“A direct comparison of the two years is not really fair.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
kkəschwa×3mmppɛshort eɹrssnn

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

Questions

“comparison”, answered

How do you pronounce “comparison”?

“comparison” is pronounced /kəmˈpɛɹəsən/ (kuhm-PE-ruh-suhn) in American English and /kəmpaɹɪsən/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “par”. Build it as com-PAR-is-on, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “comparison” have?

4: com · par · is · on. The beat lands on the second, “par”.

Is “comparison” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kəmˈpɛɹəsən/ (kuhm-PE-ruh-suhn); British English says /kəmpaɹɪsən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “comparison” mean?

As a noun: the act of examining resemblances For example: “they made a comparison of noise levels” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “comparison”?

Stress the second syllable: com-PAR-is-on. “par” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “comparison” and see every sound

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