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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “even”

“even” is pronounced /ˈivɪn/ (EE-vin) in American English and /iːvən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ev”.
The sound

Say “even” in 2 beats

Say it like this

even

/ˈivɪn/

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

2 beats
  1. evistress
  2. envɪn
IPA (American)
/ˈivɪn/
IPA (British)
/iːvən/
Respelling
EE-vin
Syllables
2 — EV-en
Stress
Stress the first syllable: EV-en. “ev” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈivɪn/

British

/iːvən/

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

Meaning

What “even” means

  1. noun

    the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

    “he enjoyed the evening light across the lake”

  2. verb

    make level or straight

    “level the ground”

  3. verb

    become even or more even

    “even out the surface”

Say it in a sentence

“He didn't even notice that the door was open.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
ilong evvɪshort inn

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

Questions

“even”, answered

How do you pronounce “even”?

“even” is pronounced /ˈivɪn/ (EE-vin) in American English and /iːvən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ev”. Build it as EV-en, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “even” have?

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

Is “even” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈivɪn/ (EE-vin); British English says /iːvən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “even” mean?

As a noun: the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall) For example: “he enjoyed the evening light across the lake” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “even”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “even” 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.

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