How to pronounce “controversy”
Say “controversy” in 4 beats
controversy
/ˈkɑntɹəˌvɝsi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈkɒntɹəvɜːsi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- contkɑnstress
- rovtɹə
- ervɝ
- sysi
- IPA (American)
- /ˈkɑntɹəˌvɝsi/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈkɒntɹəvɜːsi/
- Also accepted
- /kənˈtɹɑvɚsi/
- Respelling
- KON-truh-vur-see
- Syllables
- 4 — CONT-rov-er-sy
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: CONT-rov-er-sy. “cont” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈkɑntɹəˌvɝsi/
/ˈkɒntɹəvɜːsi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Also accepted
/kənˈtɹɑvɚsi/Where “controversy” goes wrong
- Often heard
“con-TROV-ur-see”
American English stresses the first syllable; British English often stresses the second
What “controversy” means
- noun
a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement
“they were involved in a violent argument”
Say it in a sentence
“The decision caused controversy among parents and teachers alike.”“controversy”, answered
How do you pronounce “controversy”?
“controversy” is pronounced /ˈkɑntɹəˌvɝsi/ (KON-truh-vur-see) in American English and /ˈkɒntɹəvɜːsi/ in British English, and /kənˈtɹɑvɚsi/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “cont”. Build it as CONT-rov-er-sy, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “controversy” have?
4: cont · rov · er · sy. The beat lands on the first, “cont”.
Is “controversy” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈkɑntɹəˌvɝsi/ (KON-truh-vur-see); British English says /ˈkɒntɹəvɜːsi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “controversy” mean?
As a noun: a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement For example: “they were involved in a violent argument”
Where is the stress in “controversy”?
Stress the first syllable: CONT-rov-er-sy. “cont” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “controversy” 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.