How to pronounce “explain”
Say “explain” in 2 beats
explain
/ɪkˈspleɪn/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɛkspleɪn/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- expɪk
- lainspleɪnstress
- IPA (American)
- /ɪkˈspleɪn/
- IPA (British)
- /ɛkspleɪn/
- Respelling
- ik-SPLAYN
- Syllables
- 2 — exp-LAIN
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: exp-LAIN. “lain” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ɪkˈspleɪn/
/ɛkspleɪn/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “explain” means
- verb
make plain and comprehensible
“He explained the laws of physics to his students”
- verb
define
“The committee explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean”
- verb
serve as a reason or cause or justification of
“Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work”
Say it in a sentence
“Can you explain that again, a little more slowly?”“explain”, answered
How do you pronounce “explain”?
“explain” is pronounced /ɪkˈspleɪn/ (ik-SPLAYN) in American English and /ɛkspleɪn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “lain”. Build it as exp-LAIN, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “explain” have?
2: exp · lain. The beat lands on the second, “lain”.
Is “explain” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɪkˈspleɪn/ (ik-SPLAYN); British English says /ɛkspleɪn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “explain” mean?
As a verb: make plain and comprehensible For example: “He explained the laws of physics to his students” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “explain”?
Stress the second syllable: exp-LAIN. “lain” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “explain” 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.