How to pronounce “contrast”
“contrast” is said two ways
/ˈkɑntɹæst/
KAHN-trast
The difference itself. Beat on KAHN.
/kənˈtɹæst/
kuhn-TRAST
To set two things against each other. Beat on TRAST.
Listen for the beat, not the letters
One syllable gets longer, louder and a step higher, and the other one collapses towards a schwa. Say the whole sentence rather than the word on its own and let the grammar pull the beat where it belongs.Both forms live in one sentence here: “Contrast the two drafts and the contrast becomes obvious.”Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “contrast” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “contrast” in 2 beats
contrast
/ˈkɑntɹæst/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /kənˈtɹæst/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈkɒntɹɑːst/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- contkɑnstress
- rasttɹæst
- IPA (American)
- /ˈkɑntɹæst/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈkɒntɹɑːst/
- Respelling
- KAHN-trast (noun) · kuhn-TRAST (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — CONT-rast
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: CONT-rast. “cont” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
This is the noun form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈkɑntɹæst/
/ˈkɒntɹɑːst/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “contrast” goes wrong
- Often heard
“KAHN-trast the two answers”
comparing them is kuhn-TRAST; KAHN-trast is the difference
What “contrast” means
- noun
the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared; ,
“in contrast to”
- noun
the act of distinguishing by comparing differences
- noun
a conceptual separation or distinction
“there is a narrow line between sanity and insanity”
Say it in a sentence
“Contrast the two drafts and the contrast becomes obvious.”“contrast”, answered
How do you pronounce “contrast”?
“contrast” has two pronunciations: /ˈkɑntɹæst/ as a noun and /kənˈtɹæst/ as a verb — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the noun form. Build it as CONT-rast, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “contrast” have?
2: cont · rast. The beat lands on the first, “cont”.
Which pronunciation of “contrast” is correct?
Both are. /ˈkɑntɹæst/ (KAHN-trast) as a noun; /kənˈtɹæst/ (kuhn-TRAST) as a verb. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does. Move the beat and the word changes its job mid-sentence, which is why both are worth drilling. Both appear here: “Contrast the two drafts and the contrast becomes obvious.”
Is “contrast” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈkɑntɹæst/ (KAHN-trast); British English says /ˈkɒntɹɑːst/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “contrast” mean?
As a noun: the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared; , For example: “in contrast to” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “contrast”?
Stress the first syllable: CONT-rast. “cont” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “contrast” 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.