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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “emphasis”

“emphasis” is pronounced /ˈɛmfəsəs/ (EM-fuh-suhs) in American English and /ɛmfəsɪs/ in British English, and /ˈɛmfəsɪs/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “emp”.
The sound

Say “emphasis” in 3 beats

Say it like this

emphasis

/ˈɛmfəsəs/

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

3 beats
  1. empɛmstress
  2. hasfə
  3. issəs
IPA (American)
/ˈɛmfəsəs/
IPA (British)
/ɛmfəsɪs/
Also accepted
/ˈɛmfəsɪs/
Respelling
EM-fuh-suhs
Syllables
3 — EMP-has-is
Stress
Stress the first syllable: EMP-has-is. “emp” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɛmfəsəs/

British

/ɛmfəsɪs/

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

Meaning

What “emphasis” means

  1. noun

    special importance or significance

    “the red light gave the central figure increased emphasis”

  2. noun

    intensity or forcefulness of expression

    “the vehemence of his denial”

  3. noun

    special and significant stress by means of position or repetition e.g.

Say it in a sentence

“Put the emphasis on the first syllable of that word.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
ɛshort emmffəschwa×2ss×2

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

Questions

“emphasis”, answered

How do you pronounce “emphasis”?

“emphasis” is pronounced /ˈɛmfəsəs/ (EM-fuh-suhs) in American English and /ɛmfəsɪs/ in British English, and /ˈɛmfəsɪs/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “emp”. Build it as EMP-has-is, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “emphasis” have?

3: emp · has · is. The beat lands on the first, “emp”.

Is “emphasis” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɛmfəsəs/ (EM-fuh-suhs); British English says /ɛmfəsɪs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “emphasis” mean?

As a noun: special importance or significance For example: “the red light gave the central figure increased emphasis” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “emphasis”?

Stress the first syllable: EMP-has-is. “emp” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “emphasis” and see every sound

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