Pronunciation

How to pronounce “equivalent

“equivalent” is pronounced /ɪˈkwɪvələnt/ (i-KWI-vuh-luhnt) in American English and /ɪkwɪvələnt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “uiv”.
The sound

Say “equivalent” in 4 beats

Say it like this

equivalent

/ɪˈkwɪvələnt/

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

4 beats
  1. eqɪ
  2. uivkwɪstress
  3. al
  4. entlənt
IPA (American)
/ɪˈkwɪvələnt/
IPA (British)
/ɪkwɪvələnt/
Respelling
i-KWI-vuh-luhnt
Syllables
4 — eq-UIV-al-ent
Stress
Stress the second syllable: eq-UIV-al-ent. “uiv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪˈkwɪvələnt/

British

/ɪkwɪvələnt/

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

Meaning

What “equivalent” means

  1. noun

    a person or thing equal to another in value or measure or force or effect or significance etc

    send two dollars or the equivalent in stamps

  2. noun

    the atomic weight of an element that has the same combining capacity as a given weight of another element; the standard is 8 for oxygen

  3. adjective

    being essentially equal to something

    it was as good as gold

Say it in a sentence

A large mug is the equivalent of two small cups.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

equivalent”, answered

How do you pronounce “equivalent”?

“equivalent” is pronounced /ɪˈkwɪvələnt/ (i-KWI-vuh-luhnt) in American English and /ɪkwɪvələnt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “uiv”. Build it as eq-UIV-al-ent, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “equivalent” have?

4: eq · uiv · al · ent. The beat lands on the second, “uiv”.

Is “equivalent” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪˈkwɪvələnt/ (i-KWI-vuh-luhnt); British English says /ɪkwɪvələnt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “equivalent” mean?

As a noun: a person or thing equal to another in value or measure or force or effect or significance etc For example: “send two dollars or the equivalent in stamps” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “equivalent”?

Stress the second syllable: eq-UIV-al-ent. “uiv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “equivalent” 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.