Pronunciation

How to pronounce “contact

“contact” is pronounced /ˈkɑnˌtækt/ (KAHN-takt) in American English and /kɒntakt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “con”.
The sound

Say “contact” in 2 beats

Say it like this

contact

/ˈkɑnˌtækt/

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

2 beats
  1. conkɑnstress
  2. tacttækt
IPA (American)
/ˈkɑnˌtækt/
IPA (British)
/kɒntakt/
Respelling
KAHN-takt
Syllables
2 — CON-tact
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CON-tact. “con” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkɑnˌtækt/

British

/kɒntakt/

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

Meaning

What “contact” means

  1. noun

    close interaction

    they kept in daily contact

  2. noun

    the act of touching physically

    her fingers came in contact with the light switch

  3. noun

    the state or condition of touching or of being in immediate proximity

    litmus paper turns red on contact with an acid

Say it in a sentence

Contact between the two teams was brief and very polite.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

contact”, answered

How do you pronounce “contact”?

“contact” is pronounced /ˈkɑnˌtækt/ (KAHN-takt) in American English and /kɒntakt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “con”. Build it as CON-tact, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “contact” have?

2: con · tact. The beat lands on the first, “con”.

Is “contact” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɑnˌtækt/ (KAHN-takt); British English says /kɒntakt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “contact” mean?

As a noun: close interaction For example: “they kept in daily contact” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “contact”?

Stress the first syllable: CON-tact. “con” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “contact” 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.