How to pronounce “government”
Say “government” in 3 beats
government
/ˈɡʌvɚmənt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈɡʌvənmənt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- govɡʌstress
- ernvɚ
- mentmənt
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɡʌvɚmənt/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈɡʌvənmənt/
- Also accepted
- /ˈɡʌvɚnmənt/
- Respelling
- GUV-ur-muhnt
- Syllables
- 3 — GOV-ern-ment
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: GOV-ern-ment. “gov” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɡʌvɚmənt/
/ˈɡʌvənmənt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “government” goes wrong
- Often heard
“GOV-ern-ment”
the o is the vowel of cup, and most speakers drop the first n: GUV-ur-muhnt
What “government” means
- noun
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
“the government reduced taxes”
- noun
the act of governing; exercising authority
“regulations for the governing of state prisons”
- noun
(government) the system or form by which a community or other political unit is governed
“tyrannical government”
Say it in a sentence
“The government promised new funding for rural bus routes.”“government”, answered
How do you pronounce “government”?
“government” is pronounced /ˈɡʌvɚmənt/ (GUV-ur-muhnt) in American English and /ˈɡʌvənmənt/ in British English, and /ˈɡʌvɚnmənt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “gov”. Build it as GOV-ern-ment, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “government” have?
3: gov · ern · ment. The beat lands on the first, “gov”.
Is “government” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɡʌvɚmənt/ (GUV-ur-muhnt); British English says /ˈɡʌvənmənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “government” mean?
As a noun: the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit For example: “the government reduced taxes” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “government”?
Stress the first syllable: GOV-ern-ment. “gov” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “government” 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.