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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “dance”

“dance” is pronounced /dæns/ (DANS) in American English and /dans/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “dance” in one beat

Say it like this

dance

/dæns/

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

1 beat
  1. dancedæns
IPA (American)
/dæns/
IPA (British)
/dans/
Respelling
DANS
Syllables
1 — dance
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /dæns/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/dæns/

British

/dans/

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

Meaning

What “dance” means

  1. noun

    an artistic form of nonverbal communication

  2. noun

    a party of people assembled for dancing

  3. noun

    taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music

Say it in a sentence

“They took dance lessons together every Thursday evening.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
ddæshort annss

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

Questions

“dance”, answered

How do you pronounce “dance”?

“dance” is pronounced /dæns/ (DANS) in American English and /dans/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /dæns/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “dance” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /dæns/ — a single beat.

Is “dance” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dæns/ (DANS); British English says /dans/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “dance” mean?

As a noun: an artistic form of nonverbal communication For example: “They took dance lessons together every Thursday evening.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “dance”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /dæns/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “dance” and see every sound

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