How to pronounce “emergency”
Say “emergency” in 4 beats
emergency
/ɪˈmɝdʒənsi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪmɜːdʒənsi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- emɪ
- ermɝstress
- gendʒən
- cysi
- IPA (American)
- /ɪˈmɝdʒənsi/
- IPA (British)
- /ɪmɜːdʒənsi/
- Also accepted
- /ˈimɚdʒənsi/
- Respelling
- i-MUR-juhn-see
- Syllables
- 4 — em-ER-gen-cy
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: em-ER-gen-cy. “er” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ɪˈmɝdʒənsi/
/ɪmɜːdʒənsi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “emergency” means
- noun
a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action
“he never knew what to do in an emergency”
- noun
a state in which martial law applies
“the governor declared a state of emergency”
- noun
a brake operated by hand; usually operates by mechanical linkage
Say it in a sentence
“In an emergency the side door opens from the inside.”“emergency”, answered
How do you pronounce “emergency”?
“emergency” is pronounced /ɪˈmɝdʒənsi/ (i-MUR-juhn-see) in American English and /ɪmɜːdʒənsi/ in British English, and /ˈimɚdʒənsi/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “er”. Build it as em-ER-gen-cy, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “emergency” have?
4: em · er · gen · cy. The beat lands on the second, “er”.
Is “emergency” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɪˈmɝdʒənsi/ (i-MUR-juhn-see); British English says /ɪmɜːdʒənsi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “emergency” mean?
As a noun: a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action For example: “he never knew what to do in an emergency” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “emergency”?
Stress the second syllable: em-ER-gen-cy. “er” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “emergency” 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.