How to pronounce “efficient”
Say “efficient” in 3 beats
efficient
/ɪˈfɪʃənt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪfɪʃənt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- efɪ
- ficfɪstress
- ientʃənt
- IPA (American)
- /ɪˈfɪʃənt/
- IPA (British)
- /ɪfɪʃənt/
- Respelling
- i-FI-shuhnt
- Syllables
- 3 — ef-FIC-ient
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ef-FIC-ient. “fic” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ɪˈfɪʃənt/
/ɪfɪʃənt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “efficient” means
- adjective
being effective without wasting time or effort or expense
“an efficient production manager”
- adjective
able to accomplish a purpose; functioning effectively; -G.B.Shaw
“people who will do nothing unless they get something out of it for themselves are often highly effective persons...”
Say it in a sentence
“A more efficient boiler halved the winter heating bill.”“efficient”, answered
How do you pronounce “efficient”?
“efficient” is pronounced /ɪˈfɪʃənt/ (i-FI-shuhnt) in American English and /ɪfɪʃənt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “fic”. Build it as ef-FIC-ient, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “efficient” have?
3: ef · fic · ient. The beat lands on the second, “fic”.
Is “efficient” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɪˈfɪʃənt/ (i-FI-shuhnt); British English says /ɪfɪʃənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “efficient” mean?
As an adjective: being effective without wasting time or effort or expense For example: “an efficient production manager” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “efficient”?
Stress the second syllable: ef-FIC-ient. “fic” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “efficient” 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.