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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “contempt”

“contempt” is pronounced /kənˈtɛmpt/ (kuhn-TEMPT) in American English and /kəntɛmpt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tempt”.
The sound

Say “contempt” in 2 beats

Say it like this

contempt

/kənˈtɛmpt/

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

2 beats
  1. conkən
  2. tempttɛmptstress
IPA (American)
/kənˈtɛmpt/
IPA (British)
/kəntɛmpt/
Respelling
kuhn-TEMPT
Syllables
2 — con-TEMPT
Stress
Stress the second syllable: con-TEMPT. “tempt” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/kənˈtɛmpt/

British

/kəntɛmpt/

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

Meaning

What “contempt” means

  1. noun

    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

    “he was held in contempt”

  2. noun

    a manner that is generally disrespectful and contemptuous

  3. noun

    open disrespect for a person or thing

Say it in a sentence

“He spoke about the whole decision with obvious contempt.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
kkəschwanntt×2ɛshort emmpp

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“contempt”, answered

How do you pronounce “contempt”?

“contempt” is pronounced /kənˈtɛmpt/ (kuhn-TEMPT) in American English and /kəntɛmpt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tempt”. Build it as con-TEMPT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “contempt” have?

2: con · tempt. The beat lands on the second, “tempt”.

Is “contempt” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kənˈtɛmpt/ (kuhn-TEMPT); British English says /kəntɛmpt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “contempt” mean?

As a noun: lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike For example: “he was held in contempt” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “contempt”?

Stress the second syllable: con-TEMPT. “tempt” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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