Pronunciation

How to pronounce “exercise

“exercise” is pronounced /ˈɛksɚˌsaɪz/ (EK-suh-syz) in American English and /ɛksəsaɪz/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɛk”.
The sound

Say “exercise” in 3 beats

Say it like this

exercise

/ˈɛksɚˌsaɪz/

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

3 beats
  1. ɛkɛkstress
  2. saɪzsaɪz
IPA (American)
/ˈɛksɚˌsaɪz/
IPA (British)
/ɛksəsaɪz/
Respelling
EK-suh-syz
Syllables
3 — ƐK-sɚ-saɪz
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ƐK-sɚ-saɪz. “ɛk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall 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

/ˈɛksɚˌsaɪz/

British

/ɛksəsaɪz/

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

Meaning

What “exercise” means

  1. noun

    the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit

    the doctor recommended regular exercise

  2. noun

    the act of using

    he warned against the use of narcotic drugs

  3. noun

    systematic training by multiple repetitions

    practice makes perfect

Say it in a sentence

A short exercise every morning has helped his back enormously.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

exercise”, answered

How do you pronounce “exercise”?

“exercise” is pronounced /ˈɛksɚˌsaɪz/ (EK-suh-syz) in American English and /ɛksəsaɪz/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɛk”. Build it as ƐK-sɚ-saɪz, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “exercise” have?

3: ɛk · sɚ · saɪz. The beat lands on the first, “ɛk”.

Is “exercise” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɛksɚˌsaɪz/ (EK-suh-syz); British English says /ɛksəsaɪz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “exercise” mean?

As a noun: the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit For example: “the doctor recommended regular exercise” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “exercise”?

Stress the first syllable: ƐK-sɚ-saɪz. “ɛk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “exercise” 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.