Pronunciation

How to pronounce “customer

“customer” is pronounced /ˈkʌstəmɚ/ (KU-stuh-muh) in American English and /kʌstəmə/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “cus”.
The sound

Say “customer” in 3 beats

Say it like this

customer

/ˈkʌstəmɚ/

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

3 beats
  1. cusstress
  2. tomstə
  3. er
IPA (American)
/ˈkʌstəmɚ/
IPA (British)
/kʌstəmə/
Respelling
KU-stuh-muh
Syllables
3 — CUS-tom-er
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CUS-tom-er. “cus” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkʌstəmɚ/

British

/kʌstəmə/

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

Meaning

What “customer” means

  1. noun

    someone who pays for goods or services

Say it in a sentence

Every customer complaint is answered within one working day.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

customer”, answered

How do you pronounce “customer”?

“customer” is pronounced /ˈkʌstəmɚ/ (KU-stuh-muh) in American English and /kʌstəmə/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “cus”. Build it as CUS-tom-er, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “customer” have?

3: cus · tom · er. The beat lands on the first, “cus”.

Is “customer” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkʌstəmɚ/ (KU-stuh-muh); British English says /kʌstəmə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “customer” mean?

As a noun: someone who pays for goods or services For example: “Every customer complaint is answered within one working day.”

Where is the stress in “customer”?

Stress the first syllable: CUS-tom-er. “cus” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “customer” 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.