Pronunciation

How to pronounce “conscious

“conscious” is pronounced /ˈkɑnʃəs/ (KON-shuhs) in American English and /ˈkɒnʃəs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cons”.
The sound

Say “conscious” in 2 beats

Say it like this

conscious

/ˈkɑnʃəs/

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

2 beats
  1. conskɑnstress
  2. ciousʃəs
IPA (American)
/ˈkɑnʃəs/
IPA (British)
/ˈkɒnʃəs/
Respelling
KON-shuhs
Syllables
2 — CONS-cious
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CONS-cious. “cons” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkɑnʃəs/

British

/ˈkɒnʃəs/

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

Watch out

Where “conscious” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    con-SHUS

    the stress is first: KON-shuhs

Meaning

What “conscious” means

  1. adjective

    intentionally conceived

    a conscious effort to speak more slowly

  2. adjective

    knowing and perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts

    remained conscious during the operation

  3. adjective

    (followed by `of') showing realization or recognition of something; ; ; - Thomas Hardy

    few voters seem conscious of the issue's importance

Say it in a sentence

She was conscious of every sound in the empty house.
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

conscious”, answered

How do you pronounce “conscious”?

“conscious” is pronounced /ˈkɑnʃəs/ (KON-shuhs) in American English and /ˈkɒnʃəs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cons”. Build it as CONS-cious, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “conscious” have?

2: cons · cious. The beat lands on the first, “cons”.

Is “conscious” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɑnʃəs/ (KON-shuhs); British English says /ˈkɒnʃəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “conscious” mean?

As an adjective: intentionally conceived For example: “a conscious effort to speak more slowly” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “conscious”?

Stress the first syllable: CONS-cious. “cons” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “conscious” 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.