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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “contrite”

“contrite” is pronounced /kənˈtɹaɪt/ (kuhn-TRYT) in American English and /kəntɹaɪt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tɹaɪt”.
The sound

Say “contrite” in 2 beats

Say it like this

contrite

/kənˈtɹaɪt/

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

2 beats
  1. kənkən
  2. tɹaɪttɹaɪtstress
IPA (American)
/kənˈtɹaɪt/
IPA (British)
/kəntɹaɪt/
Respelling
kuhn-TRYT
Syllables
2 — kən-TɹAꞮT
Stress
Stress the second syllable: kən-TɹAꞮT. “tɹaɪt” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/kənˈtɹaɪt/

British

/kəntɹaɪt/

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

Meaning

What “contrite” means

  1. adjective

    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses

Say it in a sentence

“He looked genuinely contrite when he returned the broken cup.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
kkəschwanntt×2ɹraɪlong i

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

Questions

“contrite”, answered

How do you pronounce “contrite”?

“contrite” is pronounced /kənˈtɹaɪt/ (kuhn-TRYT) in American English and /kəntɹaɪt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tɹaɪt”. Build it as kən-TɹAꞮT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “contrite” have?

2: kən · tɹaɪt. The beat lands on the second, “tɹaɪt”.

Is “contrite” said differently in British English?

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

What does “contrite” mean?

As an adjective: feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses For example: “He looked genuinely contrite when he returned the broken cup.”

Where is the stress in “contrite”?

Stress the second syllable: kən-TɹAꞮT. “tɹaɪt” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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