Pronunciation

How to pronounce “ever

“ever” is pronounced /ˈɛvɚ/ (E-vuh) in American English and /ɛvə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ev”.
The sound

Say “ever” in 2 beats

Say it like this

ever

/ˈɛvɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. evɛstress
  2. er
IPA (American)
/ˈɛvɚ/
IPA (British)
/ɛvə/
Respelling
E-vuh
Syllables
2 — EV-er
Stress
Stress the first syllable: EV-er. “ev” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɛvɚ/

British

/ɛvə/

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

Meaning

What “ever” means

  1. adverb

    at any time

    did you ever smoke?

  2. adverb

    at all times; all the time and on every occasion

    I will always be there to help you

  3. adverb

    (intensifier for adjectives) very

    she was ever so friendly

Say it in a sentence

It was the best meal she had ever tasted.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 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

ever”, answered

How do you pronounce “ever”?

“ever” is pronounced /ˈɛvɚ/ (E-vuh) in American English and /ɛvə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ev”. Build it as EV-er, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “ever” have?

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

Is “ever” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɛvɚ/ (E-vuh); British English says /ɛvə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “ever” mean?

As an adverb: at any time For example: “did you ever smoke?” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “ever”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “ever” 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.