How to pronounce “expedient”
Say “expedient” in 4 beats
expedient
/ɪkˈspidiənt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɛkspiːdiənt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɪkɪk
- spispistress
- didi
- əntənt
- IPA (American)
- /ɪkˈspidiənt/
- IPA (British)
- /ɛkspiːdiənt/
- Respelling
- ik-SPEE-dee-uhnt
- Syllables
- 4 — ɪk-SPI-di-ənt
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɪk-SPI-di-ənt. “spi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/ɪkˈspidiənt/
/ɛkspiːdiənt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “expedient” means
- noun
a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one
- adjective
serving to promote your interest
“was merciful only when mercy was expedient”
- adjective
appropriate to a purpose; practical
“in the circumstances it was expedient to express loyalty”
Say it in a sentence
“Borrowing a chair was a quick expedient, nothing more.”“expedient”, answered
How do you pronounce “expedient”?
“expedient” is pronounced /ɪkˈspidiənt/ (ik-SPEE-dee-uhnt) in American English and /ɛkspiːdiənt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “spi”. Build it as ɪk-SPI-di-ənt, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “expedient” have?
4: ɪk · spi · di · ənt. The beat lands on the second, “spi”.
Is “expedient” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɪkˈspidiənt/ (ik-SPEE-dee-uhnt); British English says /ɛkspiːdiənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “expedient” mean?
As a noun: a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one For example: “Borrowing a chair was a quick expedient, nothing more.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “expedient”?
Stress the second syllable: ɪk-SPI-di-ənt. “spi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “expedient” 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.