Pronunciation

How to pronounce “governance

“governance” is pronounced /ˈɡʌvɚnəns/ (GU-vuh-nuhns) in American English and /ɡʌvənəns/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɡʌ”.
The sound

Say “governance” in 3 beats

Say it like this

governance

/ˈɡʌvɚnəns/

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

3 beats
  1. ɡʌɡʌstress
  2. nənsnəns
IPA (American)
/ˈɡʌvɚnəns/
IPA (British)
/ɡʌvənəns/
Respelling
GU-vuh-nuhns
Syllables
3 — ꞬɅ-vɚ-nəns
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ꞬɅ-vɚ-nəns. “ɡʌ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɡʌvɚnəns/

British

/ɡʌvənəns/

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

Meaning

What “governance” means

  1. noun

    the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something

    he claims that the present administration is corrupt

  2. noun

    the act of governing; exercising authority

    regulations for the governing of state prisons

Say it in a sentence

Good governance matters more in a small charity than a large one.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

governance”, answered

How do you pronounce “governance”?

“governance” is pronounced /ˈɡʌvɚnəns/ (GU-vuh-nuhns) in American English and /ɡʌvənəns/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɡʌ”. Build it as ꞬɅ-vɚ-nəns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “governance” have?

3: ɡʌ · vɚ · nəns. The beat lands on the first, “ɡʌ”.

Is “governance” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɡʌvɚnəns/ (GU-vuh-nuhns); British English says /ɡʌvənəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “governance” mean?

As a noun: the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something For example: “he claims that the present administration is corrupt” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “governance”?

Stress the first syllable: ꞬɅ-vɚ-nəns. “ɡʌ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “governance” and see every sound

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