How to pronounce “foreign”
Say “foreign” in 2 beats
foreign
/ˈfɔɹən/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /fɒɹən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- forfɔstress
- eignɹən
- IPA (American)
- /ˈfɔɹən/
- IPA (British)
- /fɒɹən/
- Also accepted
- /ˈfɑɹən/
- Respelling
- FAW-ruhn
- Syllables
- 2 — FOR-eign
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: FOR-eign. “for” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈfɔɹən/
/fɒɹən/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “foreign” means
- adjective
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
“foreign trade”
- adjective
relating to or originating in or characteristic of another place or part of the world
“foreign nations”
- adjective
not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something
“an economic theory alien to the spirit of capitalism”
Say it in a sentence
“Learning a foreign language changed how he heard his own.”“foreign”, answered
How do you pronounce “foreign”?
“foreign” is pronounced /ˈfɔɹən/ (FAW-ruhn) in American English and /fɒɹən/ in British English, and /ˈfɑɹən/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “for”. Build it as FOR-eign, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “foreign” have?
2: for · eign. The beat lands on the first, “for”.
Is “foreign” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈfɔɹən/ (FAW-ruhn); British English says /fɒɹən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “foreign” mean?
As an adjective: of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own) For example: “foreign trade” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “foreign”?
Stress the first syllable: FOR-eign. “for” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “foreign” 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.