Pronunciation

How to pronounce “compound

“compound” is pronounced /ˈkɑmpaʊnd/ (KAHM-pownd) in American English and /kɒmpaʊnd/ in British English, and /kəmˈpaʊnd/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “com”.
The sound

Say “compound” in 2 beats

Say it like this

compound

/ˈkɑmpaʊnd/

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

2 beats
  1. comkɑmstress
  2. poundpaʊnd
IPA (American)
/ˈkɑmpaʊnd/
IPA (British)
/kɒmpaʊnd/
Also accepted
/kəmˈpaʊnd/
Respelling
KAHM-pownd
Syllables
2 — COM-pound
Stress
Stress the first syllable: COM-pound. “com” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkɑmpaʊnd/

British

/kɒmpaʊnd/

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

Meaning

What “compound” means

  1. noun

    a whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts

  2. noun

    (chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight

  3. noun

    an enclosure of residences and other building (especially in the Orient)

Say it in a sentence

Salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

compound”, answered

How do you pronounce “compound”?

“compound” is pronounced /ˈkɑmpaʊnd/ (KAHM-pownd) in American English and /kɒmpaʊnd/ in British English, and /kəmˈpaʊnd/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “com”. Build it as COM-pound, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “compound” have?

2: com · pound. The beat lands on the first, “com”.

Is “compound” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɑmpaʊnd/ (KAHM-pownd); British English says /kɒmpaʊnd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “compound” mean?

As a noun: a whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts For example: “Salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “compound”?

Stress the first syllable: COM-pound. “com” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “compound” 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.