Pronunciation

How to pronounce “expand

“expand” is pronounced /ɪkˈspænd/ (ik-SPAND) in American English and /ɛkspand/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pand”.
The sound

Say “expand” in 2 beats

Say it like this

expand

/ɪkˈspænd/

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

2 beats
  1. exɪk
  2. pandspændstress
IPA (American)
/ɪkˈspænd/
IPA (British)
/ɛkspand/
Respelling
ik-SPAND
Syllables
2 — ex-PAND
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ex-PAND. “pand” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪkˈspænd/

British

/ɛkspand/

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

Meaning

What “expand” means

  1. verb

    extend in one or more directions

    The dough expands

  2. verb

    become larger in size or volume or quantity

    his business expanded rapidly

  3. verb

    make bigger or wider in size, volume, or quantity

    expand the house by adding another wing

Say it in a sentence

They plan to expand the workshop into the next unit.
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

expand”, answered

How do you pronounce “expand”?

“expand” is pronounced /ɪkˈspænd/ (ik-SPAND) in American English and /ɛkspand/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pand”. Build it as ex-PAND, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “expand” have?

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

Is “expand” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪkˈspænd/ (ik-SPAND); British English says /ɛkspand/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “expand” mean?

As a verb: extend in one or more directions For example: “The dough expands” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “expand”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “expand” 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.