Pronunciation

How to pronounce “confidence

“confidence” is pronounced /ˈkɑnfədəns/ (KAHN-fuh-duhns) in American English and /kɒnfɪdəns/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “kɑn”.
The sound

Say “confidence” in 3 beats

Say it like this

confidence

/ˈkɑnfədəns/

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

3 beats
  1. kɑnkɑnstress
  2. dənsdəns
IPA (American)
/ˈkɑnfədəns/
IPA (British)
/kɒnfɪdəns/
Respelling
KAHN-fuh-duhns
Syllables
3 — KⱭN-fə-dəns
Stress
Stress the first syllable: KⱭN-fə-dəns. “kɑn” 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

/ˈkɑnfədəns/

British

/kɒnfɪdəns/

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

Meaning

What “confidence” means

  1. noun

    freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities

    his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular

  2. noun

    a feeling of trust (in someone or something)

    I have confidence in our team

  3. noun

    a state of confident hopefulness that events will be favorable

    public confidence in the economy

Say it in a sentence

Practising aloud gave her the confidence to speak in meetings.
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

confidence”, answered

How do you pronounce “confidence”?

“confidence” is pronounced /ˈkɑnfədəns/ (KAHN-fuh-duhns) in American English and /kɒnfɪdəns/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “kɑn”. Build it as KⱭN-fə-dəns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “confidence” have?

3: kɑn · fə · dəns. The beat lands on the first, “kɑn”.

Is “confidence” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɑnfədəns/ (KAHN-fuh-duhns); British English says /kɒnfɪdəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “confidence” mean?

As a noun: freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities For example: “his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “confidence”?

Stress the first syllable: KⱭN-fə-dəns. “kɑn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “confidence” and see every sound

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