Pronunciation

How to pronounce “exam

“exam” is pronounced /ɪɡˈzæm/ (ig-ZAM) in American English and /ɛɡzam/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “am”.
The sound

Say “exam” in 2 beats

Say it like this

exam

/ɪɡˈzæm/

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

2 beats
  1. exɪɡ
  2. amzæmstress
IPA (American)
/ɪɡˈzæm/
IPA (British)
/ɛɡzam/
Respelling
ig-ZAM
Syllables
2 — ex-AM
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ex-AM. “am” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪɡˈzæm/

British

/ɛɡzam/

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

Meaning

What “exam” means

  1. noun

    a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge

    when the test was stolen the professor had to make a new set of questions

Say it in a sentence

The exam covers everything from the first two terms.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

exam”, answered

How do you pronounce “exam”?

“exam” is pronounced /ɪɡˈzæm/ (ig-ZAM) in American English and /ɛɡzam/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “am”. Build it as ex-AM, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “exam” have?

2: ex · am. The beat lands on the second, “am”.

Is “exam” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪɡˈzæm/ (ig-ZAM); British English says /ɛɡzam/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “exam” mean?

As a noun: a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge For example: “when the test was stolen the professor had to make a new set of questions”

Where is the stress in “exam”?

Stress the second syllable: ex-AM. “am” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “exam” 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.