Pronunciation

How to pronounce “continue

“continue” is pronounced /kənˈtɪnju/ (kuhn-TI-nyoo) in American English and /kəntɪnjuː/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tin”.
The sound

Say “continue” in 3 beats

Say it like this

continue

/kənˈtɪnju/

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

3 beats
  1. conkən
  2. tinstress
  3. uenju
IPA (American)
/kənˈtɪnju/
IPA (British)
/kəntɪnjuː/
Respelling
kuhn-TI-nyoo
Syllables
3 — con-TIN-ue
Stress
Stress the second syllable: con-TIN-ue. “tin” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/kənˈtɪnju/

British

/kəntɪnjuː/

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

Meaning

What “continue” means

  1. verb

    continue a certain state, condition, or activity

    Keep on working!

  2. verb

    continue talking; he continued,

    I know it's hard,

  3. verb

    keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last

    preserve the peace in the family

Say it in a sentence

They plan to continue the renovation once the weather clears.
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

continue”, answered

How do you pronounce “continue”?

“continue” is pronounced /kənˈtɪnju/ (kuhn-TI-nyoo) in American English and /kəntɪnjuː/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tin”. Build it as con-TIN-ue, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “continue” have?

3: con · tin · ue. The beat lands on the second, “tin”.

Is “continue” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kənˈtɪnju/ (kuhn-TI-nyoo); British English says /kəntɪnjuː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “continue” mean?

As a verb: continue a certain state, condition, or activity For example: “Keep on working!” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “continue”?

Stress the second syllable: con-TIN-ue. “tin” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “continue” 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.