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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “environment”

“environment” is pronounced /ɪnˈvaɪɹənmənt/ (in-VY-ruhn-muhnt) in American English and /ɛnvaɪɹənmənt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “vir”.
The sound

Say “environment” in 4 beats

Say it like this

environment

/ɪnˈvaɪɹənmənt/

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

4 beats
  1. enɪn
  2. virvaɪstress
  3. onɹən
  4. mentmənt
IPA (American)
/ɪnˈvaɪɹənmənt/
IPA (British)
/ɛnvaɪɹənmənt/
Respelling
in-VY-ruhn-muhnt
Syllables
4 — en-VIR-on-ment
Stress
Stress the second syllable: en-VIR-on-ment. “vir” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪnˈvaɪɹənmənt/

British

/ɛnvaɪɹənmənt/

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

Meaning

What “environment” means

  1. noun

    the totality of surrounding conditions

    “he longed for the comfortable environment of his living room”

  2. noun

    the area in which something exists or lives

    “the country--the flat agricultural surround”

Say it in a sentence

“A quiet environment helps most people concentrate for longer.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort inn×3vvaɪlong iɹrəschwa×2mmtt

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

Questions

“environment”, answered

How do you pronounce “environment”?

“environment” is pronounced /ɪnˈvaɪɹənmənt/ (in-VY-ruhn-muhnt) in American English and /ɛnvaɪɹənmənt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “vir”. Build it as en-VIR-on-ment, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “environment” have?

4: en · vir · on · ment. The beat lands on the second, “vir”.

Is “environment” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪnˈvaɪɹənmənt/ (in-VY-ruhn-muhnt); British English says /ɛnvaɪɹənmənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “environment” mean?

As a noun: the totality of surrounding conditions For example: “he longed for the comfortable environment of his living room” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “environment”?

Stress the second syllable: en-VIR-on-ment. “vir” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “environment” and see every sound

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