How to pronounce “former”
Say “former” in 2 beats
former
/ˈfɔɹmɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /fɔːmə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- forfɔɹstress
- mermɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈfɔɹmɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /fɔːmə/
- Respelling
- FAWR-muh
- Syllables
- 2 — FOR-mer
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: FOR-mer. “for” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈfɔɹmɚ/
/fɔːmə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “former” means
- noun
the first of two or the first mentioned of two
“Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today”
- adjective
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
“the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967; I prefer the former version to the latter one”
- adjective
belonging to some prior time
“erstwhile friend”
Say it in a sentence
“The former mayor still lives in the same small town.”“former”, answered
How do you pronounce “former”?
“former” is pronounced /ˈfɔɹmɚ/ (FAWR-muh) in American English and /fɔːmə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “for”. Build it as FOR-mer, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “former” have?
2: for · mer. The beat lands on the first, “for”.
Is “former” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈfɔɹmɚ/ (FAWR-muh); British English says /fɔːmə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “former” mean?
As a noun: the first of two or the first mentioned of two For example: “Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “former”?
Stress the first syllable: FOR-mer. “for” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “former” 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.