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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “expect”

“expect” is pronounced /ɪkˈspɛkt/ (ik-SPEKT) in American English and /ɛkspɛkt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pect”.
The sound

Say “expect” in 2 beats

Say it like this

expect

/ɪkˈspɛkt/

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

2 beats
  1. exɪk
  2. pectspɛktstress
IPA (American)
/ɪkˈspɛkt/
IPA (British)
/ɛkspɛkt/
Respelling
ik-SPEKT
Syllables
2 — ex-PECT
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ex-PECT. “pect” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪkˈspɛkt/

British

/ɛkspɛkt/

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

Meaning

What “expect” means

  1. verb

    regard something as probable or likely

    “The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow”

  2. verb

    consider obligatory; request and expect

    “We require our secretary to be on time”

  3. verb

    look forward to the probable occurrence of

    “We were expecting a visit from our relatives”

Say it in a sentence

“They expect the delivery to arrive sometime next week.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort ikk×2ssppɛshort ett

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“expect”, answered

How do you pronounce “expect”?

“expect” is pronounced /ɪkˈspɛkt/ (ik-SPEKT) in American English and /ɛkspɛkt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pect”. Build it as ex-PECT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “expect” have?

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

Is “expect” said differently in British English?

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

What does “expect” mean?

As a verb: regard something as probable or likely For example: “The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “expect”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “expect” and see every sound

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