How to pronounce “deference”
Say “deference” in 2 beats
deference
/ˈdɛfɹəns/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈdɛfəɹəns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- dɛdɛstress
- fɹənsfɹəns
- IPA (American)
- /ˈdɛfɹəns/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈdɛfəɹəns/
- Respelling
- DEF-ruhns
- Syllables
- 2 — DƐ-fɹəns
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: DƐ-fɹəns. “dɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/ˈdɛfɹəns/
/ˈdɛfəɹəns/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “deference” goes wrong
- Often heard
“duh-FUR-ence”
the stress is on DEF, unlike the verb defer
What “deference” means
- noun
a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard
“his deference to her wishes was very flattering”
- noun
courteous regard for people's feelings
“in deference to your wishes”
- noun
a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others
Say it in a sentence
“He stepped back in deference to the older musicians.”“deference”, answered
How do you pronounce “deference”?
“deference” is pronounced /ˈdɛfɹəns/ (DEF-ruhns) in American English and /ˈdɛfəɹəns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “dɛ”. Build it as DƐ-fɹəns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “deference” have?
2: dɛ · fɹəns. The beat lands on the first, “dɛ”. Read letter by letter it looks like 3 (duh-FUR-ence), and that careful version is not wrong — but ordinary speech runs it to 2.
Is “deference” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈdɛfɹəns/ (DEF-ruhns); British English says /ˈdɛfəɹəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “deference” mean?
As a noun: a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard For example: “his deference to her wishes was very flattering” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “deference”?
Stress the first syllable: DƐ-fɹəns. “dɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “deference” 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.