Pronunciation

How to pronounce “enter

“enter” is pronounced /ˈɛntɚ/ (EN-tuh) in American English and /ɛntə/ in British English, and /ˈɛnɚ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “en”.
The sound

Say “enter” in 2 beats

Say it like this

enter

/ˈɛntɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. enɛnstress
  2. ter
IPA (American)
/ˈɛntɚ/
IPA (British)
/ɛntə/
Also accepted
/ˈɛnɚ/
Respelling
EN-tuh
Syllables
2 — EN-ter
Stress
Stress the first syllable: EN-ter. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɛntɚ/

British

/ɛntə/

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

Meaning

What “enter” means

  1. verb

    to come or go into

    the boat entered an area of shallow marshes

  2. verb

    become a participant; be involved in

    enter a race

  3. verb

    register formally as a participant or member

    The party recruited many new members

Say it in a sentence

Guests must enter through the side door after six.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

enter”, answered

How do you pronounce “enter”?

“enter” is pronounced /ˈɛntɚ/ (EN-tuh) in American English and /ɛntə/ in British English, and /ˈɛnɚ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as EN-ter, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “enter” have?

2: en · ter. The beat lands on the first, “en”.

Is “enter” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɛntɚ/ (EN-tuh); British English says /ɛntə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “enter” mean?

As a verb: to come or go into For example: “the boat entered an area of shallow marshes” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “enter”?

Stress the first syllable: EN-ter. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “enter” 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.