How to pronounce “contentious”
Say “contentious” in 3 beats
contentious
/kənˈtɛnʃəs/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /kəntɛnʃəs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- conkən
- tentɛnstress
- tiousʃəs
- IPA (American)
- /kənˈtɛnʃəs/
- IPA (British)
- /kəntɛnʃəs/
- Respelling
- kuhn-TEN-shuhs
- Syllables
- 3 — con-TEN-tious
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: con-TEN-tious. “ten” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/kənˈtɛnʃəs/
/kəntɛnʃəs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “contentious” means
- adjective
inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits
“a style described as abrasive and contentious”
- adjective
involving or likely to cause controversy; - Tim W.Ferfuson
“a central and contentious element of the book”
Say it in a sentence
“Parking has been a contentious subject here for years.”“contentious”, answered
How do you pronounce “contentious”?
“contentious” is pronounced /kənˈtɛnʃəs/ (kuhn-TEN-shuhs) in American English and /kəntɛnʃəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ten”. Build it as con-TEN-tious, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “contentious” have?
3: con · ten · tious. The beat lands on the second, “ten”.
Is “contentious” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /kənˈtɛnʃəs/ (kuhn-TEN-shuhs); British English says /kəntɛnʃəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “contentious” mean?
As an adjective: inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits For example: “a style described as abrasive and contentious” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “contentious”?
Stress the second syllable: con-TEN-tious. “ten” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “contentious” 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.