How to pronounce “conference”
Say “conference” in 2 beats
conference
/ˈkɑnfɹəns/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈkɒnfɹəns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- kɑnkɑnstress
- fɹənsfɹəns
- IPA (American)
- /ˈkɑnfɹəns/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈkɒnfɹəns/
- Also accepted
- /ˈkɑnfəɹəns/
- Respelling
- KON-fruhns
- Syllables
- 2 — KⱭN-fɹəns
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: KⱭN-fɹəns. “kɑn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈkɑnfɹəns/
/ˈkɒnfɹəns/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Also accepted
/ˈkɑnfəɹəns/Where “conference” goes wrong
- Often heard
“con-FER-ence”
the stress is on the first syllable and the middle vowel almost vanishes
What “conference” means
- noun
a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
- noun
an association of sports teams that organizes matches for its members
- noun
a discussion among participants who have an agreed (serious) topic
Say it in a sentence
“The conference runs for two days at the old town hall.”“conference”, answered
How do you pronounce “conference”?
“conference” is pronounced /ˈkɑnfɹəns/ (KON-fruhns) in American English and /ˈkɒnfɹəns/ in British English, and /ˈkɑnfəɹəns/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “kɑn”. Build it as KⱭN-fɹəns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “conference” have?
2: kɑn · fɹəns. The beat lands on the first, “kɑn”. Read letter by letter it looks like 3 (con-FER-ence), and that careful version is not wrong — but ordinary speech runs it to 2.
Is “conference” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈkɑnfɹəns/ (KON-fruhns); British English says /ˈkɒnfɹəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “conference” mean?
As a noun: a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda) For example: “The conference runs for two days at the old town hall.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “conference”?
Stress the first syllable: KⱭN-fɹəns. “kɑn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “conference” 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.