How to pronounce “expense”
Say “expense” in 2 beats
expense
/ɪkˈspɛns/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɛkspɛns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɪkɪk
- spɛnsspɛnsstress
- IPA (American)
- /ɪkˈspɛns/
- IPA (British)
- /ɛkspɛns/
- Respelling
- ik-SPENS
- Syllables
- 2 — ɪk-SPƐNS
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɪk-SPƐNS. “spɛns” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ɪkˈspɛns/
/ɛkspɛns/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “expense” means
- noun
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
- noun
a detriment or sacrifice
“at the expense of”
- noun
money spent to perform work and usually reimbursed by an employer
“he kept a careful record of his expenses at the meeting”
Say it in a sentence
“The heating is the biggest expense in this old house.”“expense”, answered
How do you pronounce “expense”?
“expense” is pronounced /ɪkˈspɛns/ (ik-SPENS) in American English and /ɛkspɛns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “spɛns”. Build it as ɪk-SPƐNS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “expense” have?
2: ɪk · spɛns. The beat lands on the second, “spɛns”.
Is “expense” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɪkˈspɛns/ (ik-SPENS); British English says /ɛkspɛns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “expense” mean?
As a noun: amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures) For example: “The heating is the biggest expense in this old house.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “expense”?
Stress the second syllable: ɪk-SPƐNS. “spɛns” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “expense” 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.