How to pronounce “discern”
Say “discern” in 2 beats
discern
/dɪˈsɝn/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /dɪsɜːn/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- disdɪ
- cernsɝnstress
- IPA (American)
- /dɪˈsɝn/
- IPA (British)
- /dɪsɜːn/
- Respelling
- di-SURN
- Syllables
- 2 — dis-CERN
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: dis-CERN. “cern” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/dɪˈsɝn/
/dɪsɜːn/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “discern” means
- verb
detect with the senses
“The fleeing convicts were picked out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards”
Say it in a sentence
“In the fog you could barely discern the harbour wall.”“discern”, answered
How do you pronounce “discern”?
“discern” is pronounced /dɪˈsɝn/ (di-SURN) in American English and /dɪsɜːn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cern”. Build it as dis-CERN, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “discern” have?
2: dis · cern. The beat lands on the second, “cern”.
Is “discern” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /dɪˈsɝn/ (di-SURN); British English says /dɪsɜːn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “discern” mean?
As a verb: detect with the senses For example: “The fleeing convicts were picked out of the darkness by the watchful prison guards”
Where is the stress in “discern”?
Stress the second syllable: dis-CERN. “cern” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “discern” 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.