Pronunciation

How to pronounce “efforts

“efforts” is pronounced /ˈɛfɚts/ (E-fuhts) in American English and /ɛfəts/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ef”.
The sound

Say “efforts” in 2 beats

Say it like this

efforts

/ˈɛfɚts/

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

2 beats
  1. efɛstress
  2. fortsfɚts
IPA (American)
/ˈɛfɚts/
IPA (British)
/ɛfəts/
Respelling
E-fuhts
Syllables
2 — EF-forts
Stress
Stress the first syllable: EF-forts. “ef” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɛfɚts/

British

/ɛfəts/

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

Meaning

What “efforts” means

  1. noun

    earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

    made an effort to cover all the reading material

  2. noun

    use of physical or mental energy; hard work

    he got an A for effort

  3. noun

    a notable achievement

    he performed a great feat

Say it in a sentence

Her efforts finally paid off when the bakery opened.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

efforts”, answered

How do you pronounce “efforts”?

“efforts” is pronounced /ˈɛfɚts/ (E-fuhts) in American English and /ɛfəts/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ef”. Build it as EF-forts, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “efforts” have?

2: ef · forts. The beat lands on the first, “ef”.

Is “efforts” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɛfɚts/ (E-fuhts); British English says /ɛfəts/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “efforts” mean?

As a noun: earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something For example: “made an effort to cover all the reading material” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “efforts”?

Stress the first syllable: EF-forts. “ef” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “efforts” 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.