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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “discourse”

“discourse” is pronounced /ˈdɪskɔɹs/ (DI-skawrs) in American English and /dɪskɔːs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “dɪ”.
The sound

Say “discourse” in 2 beats

Say it like this

discourse

/ˈdɪskɔɹs/

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

2 beats
  1. dɪdɪstress
  2. skɔɹsskɔɹs
IPA (American)
/ˈdɪskɔɹs/
IPA (British)
/dɪskɔːs/
Respelling
DI-skawrs
Syllables
2 — DꞮ-skɔɹs
Stress
Stress the first syllable: DꞮ-skɔɹs. “dɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈdɪskɔɹs/

British

/dɪskɔːs/

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

Meaning

What “discourse” means

  1. noun

    extended verbal expression in speech or writing

  2. noun

    an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service)

  3. noun

    an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic

    “the book contains an excellent discussion of modal logic”

Say it in a sentence

“Her discourse on medieval farming lasted a good forty minutes.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ddɪshort iss×2kkɔawɹr

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

Questions

“discourse”, answered

How do you pronounce “discourse”?

“discourse” is pronounced /ˈdɪskɔɹs/ (DI-skawrs) in American English and /dɪskɔːs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “dɪ”. Build it as DꞮ-skɔɹs, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “discourse” have?

2: dɪ · skɔɹs. The beat lands on the first, “dɪ”.

Is “discourse” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈdɪskɔɹs/ (DI-skawrs); British English says /dɪskɔːs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “discourse” mean?

As a noun: extended verbal expression in speech or writing For example: “Her discourse on medieval farming lasted a good forty minutes.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “discourse”?

Stress the first syllable: DꞮ-skɔɹs. “dɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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