Pronunciation

How to pronounce “exchange

“exchange” is pronounced /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/ (iks-CHAYNJ) in American English and /ɛkstʃeɪndʒ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tʃeɪndʒ”.
The sound

Say “exchange” in 2 beats

Say it like this

exchange

/ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/

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

2 beats
  1. ɪksɪks
  2. tʃeɪndʒtʃeɪndʒstress
IPA (American)
/ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/
IPA (British)
/ɛkstʃeɪndʒ/
Respelling
iks-CHAYNJ
Syllables
2 — ɪks-TƩEꞮNDƷ
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪks-TƩEꞮNDƷ. “tʃeɪndʒ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/

British

/ɛkstʃeɪndʒ/

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

Meaning

What “exchange” means

  1. noun

    chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another

  2. noun

    a mutual expression of views (especially an unpleasant one)

    they had a bitter exchange

  3. noun

    the act of changing one thing for another thing

    Adam was promised immortality in exchange for his disobedience

Say it in a sentence

They agreed to exchange gifts before the holiday dinner.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

exchange”, answered

How do you pronounce “exchange”?

“exchange” is pronounced /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/ (iks-CHAYNJ) in American English and /ɛkstʃeɪndʒ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tʃeɪndʒ”. Build it as ɪks-TƩEꞮNDƷ, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “exchange” have?

2: ɪks · tʃeɪndʒ. The beat lands on the second, “tʃeɪndʒ”.

Is “exchange” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/ (iks-CHAYNJ); British English says /ɛkstʃeɪndʒ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “exchange” mean?

As a noun: chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another For example: “They agreed to exchange gifts before the holiday dinner.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “exchange”?

Stress the second syllable: ɪks-TƩEꞮNDƷ. “tʃeɪndʒ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “exchange” 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.