Pronunciation

How to pronounce “gesture

“gesture” is pronounced /ˈdʒɛstʃɚ/ (JES-chuh) in American English and /dʒɛstʃə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “dʒɛs”.
The sound

Say “gesture” in 2 beats

Say it like this

gesture

/ˈdʒɛstʃɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. dʒɛsdʒɛsstress
  2. tʃɚtʃɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈdʒɛstʃɚ/
IPA (British)
/dʒɛstʃə/
Respelling
JES-chuh
Syllables
2 — DƷƐS-tʃɚ
Stress
Stress the first syllable: DƷƐS-tʃɚ. “dʒɛs” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈdʒɛstʃɚ/

British

/dʒɛstʃə/

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

Meaning

What “gesture” means

  1. noun

    motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling

  2. noun

    the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals

  3. noun

    something done as an indication of intention

    a political gesture

Say it in a sentence

One small gesture with the hand kept the whole room listening.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

gesture”, answered

How do you pronounce “gesture”?

“gesture” is pronounced /ˈdʒɛstʃɚ/ (JES-chuh) in American English and /dʒɛstʃə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “dʒɛs”. Build it as DƷƐS-tʃɚ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “gesture” have?

2: dʒɛs · tʃɚ. The beat lands on the first, “dʒɛs”.

Is “gesture” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈdʒɛstʃɚ/ (JES-chuh); British English says /dʒɛstʃə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “gesture” mean?

As a noun: motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling For example: “One small gesture with the hand kept the whole room listening.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “gesture”?

Stress the first syllable: DƷƐS-tʃɚ. “dʒɛs” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “gesture” and see every sound

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