Pronunciation

How to pronounce “experience

“experience” is pronounced /ɪkˈspɪɹiəns/ (ik-SPI-ree-uhns) in American English and /ɛkspiəɹɪəns/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “per”.
The sound

Say “experience” in 4 beats

Say it like this

experience

/ɪkˈspɪɹiəns/

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

4 beats
  1. exɪk
  2. perspɪstress
  3. ienɹi
  4. ceəns
IPA (American)
/ɪkˈspɪɹiəns/
IPA (British)
/ɛkspiəɹɪəns/
Respelling
ik-SPI-ree-uhns
Syllables
4 — ex-PER-ien-ce
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ex-PER-ien-ce. “per” 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

/ɪkˈspɪɹiəns/

British

/ɛkspiəɹɪəns/

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

Meaning

What “experience” means

  1. noun

    the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities

    a man of experience

  2. noun

    the content of direct observation or participation in an event

    he had a religious experience

  3. noun

    an event as apprehended

    a surprising experience

Say it in a sentence

Ten years of experience taught him when to stay quiet.
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

experience”, answered

How do you pronounce “experience”?

“experience” is pronounced /ɪkˈspɪɹiəns/ (ik-SPI-ree-uhns) in American English and /ɛkspiəɹɪəns/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “per”. Build it as ex-PER-ien-ce, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “experience” have?

4: ex · per · ien · ce. The beat lands on the second, “per”.

Is “experience” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪkˈspɪɹiəns/ (ik-SPI-ree-uhns); British English says /ɛkspiəɹɪəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “experience” mean?

As a noun: the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities For example: “a man of experience” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “experience”?

Stress the second syllable: ex-PER-ien-ce. “per” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “experience” 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.